PractiGal

A Close Relative of the Cardboard Box

The other day, VW Bug posted pictures of her kids' train setups. That prompted me to take some pictures of our highly sophisticated in-home motor speedway. You may recognize this high-quality play table from your own laundry room.

It just so happens that Hot Wheels (and Thomas the Tank Engine & Percy) fit perfectly in the "track" on the bottom of our laundry baskets. Believe it or not, this little setup can easily occupy my little guy for 20 minutes or so. And when he gets tired of that, you just flip it over & give him rides around the room! What a versatile item!

So someday, he'll realize that he has this mysterious fondness for laundry baskets, and he'll be all excited about using them for their intended purpose -- Right?

Let Me Check -- Nope. Still Not Crafty!

Maybe it's just as well that I'm not a crafty person. We had a couple of craft-related quasi-injuries at our house over the weekend, and I'm taking them as signs that I'm not meant to be a crafter.

First, we had the beaded-watch-band-incident. My son loves to play with his Grandma's homemade watch band. When she visits, Grandma lets the little guy hold the watch as a distraction during diaper changes and meltdowns. The band consists of colorful beads on stretchy string -- the beads are made from modeling clay.  Anyway, the little guy was playing with the watch at the kitchen table while we ate breakfast. Suddenly, I noticed half a bead on the table. And yes, the other half was getting chewed up in his mouth. I quickly fished what I could out of his mouth, and we had a little wrestling match where he cried and clenched his teeth, and I continued to probe his mouth. My heart was racing. The beads were made of Sculpey, which, I learned from Poison Control, is non-toxic. Oh, and if you're in the US and don't have the number for poison control posted by your phone, it's 800-222-1222. They're very calming with frantic mothers.

Next, was the incident with sewing scissors. My son often gets onto the couch by heaving his body head-first onto the seat. He did this while Grandma's tiny scissors were sitting at her side on the couch, thus stabbing himself in the cheek. It wasn't a big deal; he wasn't even bothered. But still...

I realized that there's no chance of a non-crafty Mom having an edible watch band or sewing scissors on the couch.

See? There are benefits.

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Many of you have reminded me that photo-related gifts are a hit.  On the radio this morning, the news broadcaster was talking about some Kodak marketing strategy and used the term "Chief Memory Officer." Not surprisingly, women are often the CMO in a family, and I guess there will be marketing efforts aimed at women because of this. I guess that's true in our house -- I'm kind of the main CMO. Though I must admit I'm failing miserably in this role. Yes, I take pictures, but I'm not at all organized about what I do with them, and I can't remember the last time I put photos in an album. It's ridiculous -- the longer I go without putting them in albums, the bigger a project it becomes. I've blogged on that before, but alas, I have not changed my ways.

Anyway, I do have plenty of photos which make great gift items for grandparents. I swear my parents thought I was Houdini when I gave them a mousepad with my son's face on it. And my mother-in-law won't even use the tote bag I had made with a photo of all her grandchildren on it. She doesn't want to get it dirty. This year? I'm looking at magnets & mugs with digital prints on them.

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I was just reading at MommaK's about annual letters -- you know, the ones that often turn into brag letters....  Our Ebenezer has just completed his internship and will be starting his new job at mega-important-corp making mega-huge-bucks. We are so lucky to have such a brainiac child. What's new with you?

Now this is something a non-crafty Mom can do.... one who likes to write. Yes! Like me! I did a mini letter from my son last year -- written from his 9-month old perspective. It wasn't a brag letter (I don't think!), but more for amusement & an update for family & friends on what he was doing at that stage. I might do one again, we'll see.

Do you write a holiday letter?  What are your thoughts on them? Yes, I'm repeating MommaK's question, so if you've already answered over there, I'll go back over & read there! ;-)

Ding! Second Floor -- Boys' Apparel

I've never had trouble finding good little boy clothes; with all the hand-me downs we've received, and all the garage sales I hit in the summertime -- plus with eBay & consignment shopping -- we have lots of tasteful little boy clothes to choose from when we strip off the sleeper each morning. I've never had trouble, that is, til this weekend.

The pursuit? Winter boots.

I bought a pair at a consignment shop last week, the day it snowed. But when I brought them home, I quickly realized that my son's legs are thicker than the average, and I could barely get his feet in, due to the girth of his calves. Thus began my mission: boots that open wide enough to get a little foot into place, with enough room for tree-trunk legs once fastened. You'd think this wouldn't be too difficult. Oh, and I should add that I'm cheap. So, while I could have found what I was looking for in a catalog, the thought of paying $25-30 for boots that would be worn for a few months seemed impractical to me. (Even when Grandma offered to buy them as a Christmas present. Yes, I'm cheap AND stubborn.)

Grandma and I set off to find some boots at Target on Saturday. No problem, right?

Wrong. Unless you're looking for pink princess-y boots. They were available in abundance. We tried a second store, and then a third. Nope and nope. Again, plenty of girly boots in stock, but just try to find a boot for a hefty-legged toddler boy.

I ended up going back to my old friend eBay, where I found a pair that I'd liked in person at Kohl's, but the sizes had been all picked over. I found the right size at the right price on eBay. And they should be here by the time we have snow again.

And the boots I bought at the consignment shop?  They're up for sale now -- gotta love eBay.

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Speaking of boys and clothes, do they sell jeans that actually fit teenagers? Just curious. We had a friend and her teenage son over yesterday, so the son could meet our little guy before we try him out for an evening of babysitting. Nice boy. Gentle and sweet with our little son. But I noticed when he lifted his arms, raising his long shirt, that his jeans were half-way down his butt. And yes, I saw his underwear! His Mom wanted him to teach my son to do the hold-hands-while-the-little-one-climbs-up -your-legs thing & then flips over. Oh my God -- thank goodness my son wasn't interested!  All I could think was "Yikes! Your pants are going to completely fall off if he walks up your legs!" Imagine how embarrassing that would be? To have your pants fall off in front of the babysit-ee's parents?

I'm hoping that overalls and suspenders will be all the rage when my boy is a teen....

Lessons Learned Over Thanksgiving

1. If a turkey is advertised as having giblets, then they're in there somewhere. If you don't remove them in their little pouch before cooking, you'll get a surprise when you take the bird out of the oven. And if someone else discovers your faux pas, you'll be the laughing stock of the kitchen! Or so I hear...

2. Not-yet-2-year-olds understand that you say cheese when you're having your picture taken. They can run around with a camera saying "cheese," too!

3. There's always room for pie. But that's an old lesson, unfortunately.

4. Sweatpants are my friend.

5. It is possible to pull off a Thanksgiving meal, even when you feel like you don't know what you're doing, & you're wondering how in the world you're going to make it all come together.

6. There's a demographic I wasn't aware of... it's the one that shops at a particular store at the mall. While trying to pawn off find a good home for some of my old clothes with my teenaged niece, I learned that her mother (my sister) buys all her clothes (roll of the eyes) at Christopher & Banks. And I was told that that's a store for "37 - 65 year old" women. Something wrong with that "age group?"

7. Chocolate is considered a food group in some families -- including mine.

8. Playing Balderdash at the end of a very busy day is like taking a huge dose of silly pills.

9. Thanksgiving leftovers can be even tastier the second time around.

10. The microwave oven is a glorious invention.

11. I am not motivated to go for a walk when it's bitter cold outside.

12. I am incredibly blessed with a wonderful husband and son, and we have families who love us & whom we love very much. I'm very thankful, too, for all of my friends - in-person & online....

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How about you?  Did you learn any lessons over the holiday?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Like everyone else hosting Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, I have a list with a bunch of things to do today... before I tackle the list, here are some pics from this morning - first snow of the year (click photos to enlarge)...  Happy Thanksgiving! & safe travels to everyone who's off to grandma's (or wherever!)....

Reminder of the former me

Defrost turkey in fridge. Check! This is in progress.

Buy ingredients for the big meal.  Mostly check. A few odds & ends to get still...

Clean the house. Working on it.  In fact, I made incredible progress on my pre-cleaning de-cluttering yesterday. I filled my trunk with donations for the Volunteers of America.

While rounding up my donations I was reminded of my former life. My pre-homeowner, pre-married with child life. I was reminded of the me who was fit and trim -- I can't believe I ever fit in those pants I pulled out of my closet! That was the me who worked out at the YMCA several days per week. Back when I had the time and money for that.

I was reminded of the vest-wearing me. Are vests still fashionable?  I counted 5 vests in my closet. It's been at least a couple of years since I've worn a vest.

I was reminded of the garage-band-singer me. I still have my microphone, tambourine, and a binder with lyrics to many songs we covered. I can't let those things go. I'd love to get back to that some day.

Some day I'll be a fit singing fool again...  Some day.

Boys Will Be Boys

If you're not up for a little gushing, you might want to click elsewhere. Right now, I must gush.

First, a little episode that made my jaw drop. My son is awake early every morning, chatting with himself and playing in his crib. Sometimes there's so much jocularity in there that my husband thinks our son has invisible friends already. Anyway, the other day our little guy was awake early, played & then fell back to sleep. When he woke up for good, I went in to get him, only to find him huddled in his crib -- wearing just a diaper. What? Somehow my 20-month old son figured out how to get out of his blanket sleeper. He had never removed any clothes by himself before. But he figured out how to unzip & remove his 2 arms & 2 legs from his sleeper. I'm thankful he hasn't figured out how to remove his diaper -- yet!

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My husband is into cars. Old cars. Classics. Fast cars. He looks at old Mustangs on eBay all the time and lusts after them. He has a 65 Ford Torino waiting to be restored. He had a bunch of other old cars, which he sold on eBay a few years back. He is a car guy.

Not only is he into the real deal; he's into miniature cars. We have miniature replicas of classic cars all over our house -- on shelves, in closets,...

Recently, our son has learned the word "cars" and has developed a fascination which quickly blossomed into what appears to be an obsession for miniature cars. He's eyeing Daddy's cars on the shelves. He wants those cars. My husband has a few little cars that aren't as special to him -- which he lets our son play with, but Daddy is also more than happy to fuel this new interest. He went to the store yesterday and returned with 10 Hot Wheels cars. And a little plastic track with loop-de-loops that you can clamp onto things. Dinner was an interruption for both my guys last night. They were busy playing with cars. The cars came to the dinner table with us. The cars and the ramp went upstairs with my son at bedtime. Throughout his bedtime stories, my son turned his head to check on his cars. "Cars? Cars?"

Those types of father-son moments make me smile. And when it's my husband and our son, it warms me from the inside out, too. I love that my husband has a son to share his interests with, and I love that my son has a father from whom he'll learn about cars and other things.

I can see that we're going to need a much bigger driveway and garage!

The Hills Are Alive and Merry Christmas!

It's Muzikdude's blogiversary... In honor of this glorious event, he's written his annual Christmas rant - yes, a little early, but that's part of his point....  Go check out The Sound of Muzik!

Gifts from the Heart

The other day we were having a discussion at our house about gift-giving. I was scrambling to come up with a birthday present for a friend at the last minute (on her birthday). I was feeling like a slouch because this friend has given me some beautiful gifts over the years, made lovingly with her own two hands. Beautiful, tasteful gifts. Ornaments, coasters, and a positively luxurious scarf, for example. I’m not a crafty person, so I give store-bought gifts. I always try to select things that the person I’m buying for would appreciate and enjoy, and I think about what’s going on in the person’s life when I choose, keeping in mind the person’s interests and taste.

Still, I often feel that the gifts I give are somewhat “cold” because I pick them off a shelf or click them into my online shopping cart.

My son received some beautiful hand-made blankets when he was born – including one from my dear friend Kristi (aka Shish), which is now a favorite for peek-a-boo. Each time I fold one of those blankets, I think of the person who made it and remember that it was made and given with love.

My sister-in-law made us a gorgeous quilt for a wedding gift. My mother-in-law is knitting a beautiful Christmas stocking and sweater for my son. Those items will become family heirlooms – they are so special, and again, made with love.

People put so much of themselves into hand-made gifts, and I am always so touched when I receive them. I don’t naturally gravitate toward crafting, but sometimes I think I should take up a craft so that I can give people that warm feeling I get when I receive a hand-made gift.

Besides my Home Economics class projects in junior high school -- a hideously ugly skirt and a ghastly shirt that looked like a bad maternity top -- I haven’t ventured too much into crafty arenas. Oh, I did make a cross-stitch wall-hanging once as a project for a technical writing class in college. That makes a total of 3 crafty projects in 40 years. Sigh.

I do bake, and I give baked goods as gifts sometimes. That's the somewhat crafty thing I do.  As a kid, I would bake cookies and give them to my not-the-least-bit-domestic aunties. One year, one aunt asked the other what kind of cookies I had made for them.
Her response?
HOMEMADE.
The question came again -- but what kind?
And the answer, again, was HOMEMADE.
Like that was a kind of cookie!
These days, who isn't watching their weight, cholesterol, etc, plus I have friends and family who have food allergies, so my baked goods aren't always the most thoughtful gift -- here try this cookie, and have an allergy attack!

Do you have any ideas for a craft that an uncrafty gal might be able to handle?
(Not that I’ll be taking on any projects in the near future, with a house to prepare for Thanksgiving, but I’d love to hear your ideas. Who knows, maybe I'll get a crafty knack someday!)

What are your favorite kinds of gifts to receive?  Hand-made or otherwise?

Dear Martha

NBC has announced that it will be canceling its Martha Stewart version of The Apprentice tv show. I’ve been watching it and have enjoyed the cast of characters, but Martha is no Donald Trump. At the end of each episode, Martha writes a letter to the person she’s “sending home.” So, it’s only fair that she receive her own sendoff letter. Right?

Dear Martha,

Clearly, you have many talents. You run a successful business. You have put your ingenuity to work with ketchup packets and a microwave in prison. Personally, I like your line of products at KMart very much.

But you’re just not a fit with The Apprentice. Frankly, you lack the charisma and eccentricity that help to make the original show’s host so appealing to fans. I’m sure that you’ll find a suitable niche for your skills.

No hard feelings.

Oh, and if I have any questions about my Thanksgiving meal preparations, can I just give you a call?  You wouldn’t mind giving me your cell phone number, right?  I mean, you DO have all the answers --  right?

Good luck with your little multi-million dollar company.

Best wishes,
PractiGal