Tag: memes

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MetaBlogging

Why I blog

I’ve been tagged by Salman Siddiqui of CompuWorld to share five reasons why I blog. I did this a month ago at work, but as I think about it, I guess there’s at least one reason that’s different for my personal blogging.

So, five reasons why I blog:

  • I want to make a record of my life.
  • I want to “suss out” motherhood. I know I can’t do this completely (probably ever), but blogging helps me to compose my thoughts, distill my feelings and try to bring more meaning to my life.
  • I want to help myself and other mothers find fulfillment through motherhood. Big reason.
  • I like connecting with others (especially mothers). Whether for interviews or just chatting on blog comments or e-mail, I’ve been surprised how many really nice people this blog has brought me into contact with! Totally wasn’t expecting that—strange, I probably should have…
  • Obligatory Unusual Reason: I’m a total grammar/spelling/punctuation Nazi. It absolutely drives me crazy to see “it’s” when it should be “its.” If I blog, I get to make sure that that doesn’t happen (as often). (This is the only one I carried over from work.)

Since I already tagged five people in my post at work, I think I’ll just tag anyone who reads this. Feel free to respond in the comments (don’t forget the comments contest this week!) or respond on your own blog and leave a track- or pingback.

Categories
Random

How to organize your closets

Hayden 13 months 008.jpgSince Lindsey asked, I thought I’d share my methodology for organizing closets. I did three in one week in March (and one was the craft closet/guest bed & bath linen closet, so you know it was stuffed!).

Before beginning: assess the damage. Figure out what organizing accessories you might need: hangers, bins, shoe shelves or hanging organizers (if so, approximately how many slots or linear inches will you need?). Find an activity for your children, if necessary (Hayden “helped” me—he’s really good at playing by himself).

Here’s my big secret: Pick a day and just do it. This might mean emptying the entire closet onto your bed or floor. That’s what I did. I took everything off the bar in my closet and sorted it into piles (still on hangers).

To make clothes look neater, hang them by garment length, sleeve length and/or color. My closet (above) is sorted by both garment and sleeve length. Ryan’s is sorted (kind of) by color and sleeve length.

Hayden 13 months 006.jpgGet rid of anything that doesn’t fit you (unless you’re pregnant and fairly sure you’ll be able to wear an outfit again by this time next year). Get rid of anything that doesn’t look good on you. Get rid of anything you don’t love. (This is why my Goodwill pile, right, is so big.)

Hayden 13 months 009.jpgTo make the closet look even cleaner, consider hanging sweater and shoe organizers and overhead shelf space. A clear floor does wonders for making that small space look neater. I have a hanging shoe organizer and two boxes on the top shelf. I have one big plastic bin on the floor of my closet that I’m trying to get rid of. (And a guitar and a flute, but I’m keeping them.)

Don’t have any shelves? You can buy cheap plastic shelves (like in my guest closet above) or wall-mounted shelving units to hang above the bar in your closet or elsewhere. When I was shopping for organizing stuff for this project, I saw entire shelf organizing systems that featured adjustable-height, wall-mounted bars, shelves and drawers. Barring that, buy under-bed storage boxes and put everything under the bed.

And the other big way I can help you: you can do it! I promise! If you can’t seem to be able to do it all at once, then even 15 minutes a day will make a difference. Really—if I had done it that way, it still would have taken less than two weeks.

Do you have any closet or other organizing tips? Leave a comment and be entered to win!

For more Works for Me Wednesday, visit Rocks in My Dryer, one of the 30 most Popular Parenting Blogs!

Categories
Kids/Parenting

Call him ‘Chip’

Warning: this picture is a little scary.

Hayden's chipped tooth

Ahh!! A huge giant mouth!! Ahh!!!

Okay, seriously, this is to show that Hayden has chipped a tooth. (The one on the upper right/his upper left: inside bottom corner.) 🙁 He’s only had that tooth for 5 months. At least it’s just a little chip. (It looks bigger when it’s in focus…)

Not sure how that happened. He likes to fall off stairs, chairs and couches… Don’t know.

[tags]wordless wednesday[/tags]

Categories
Kids/Parenting Random

Six of one, half a dozen of the other VI

Since last week I covered motherly chores that I like and don’t like (and since we’re in serious need of more Hayden pictures here!), here’s six chores that Hayden likes.

Six chores Hayden hates
Diapers. We have something in common!
Getting dressed. He does like it, however, when I let him walk around naked (diaper-clad) in the middle of getting dressed. Lately he’s started standing up, giving me a sly smile, waving bye bye and heading for the door.
Post-meal face washing. ‘Nuff said.
Vacuuming. Actually, he really likes me to hold him while I vacuum, but he can’t decide whether he’s thrilled or terrified.
Following Mom around while she does chores. What about me, Mom? Can I help? Can I have your duster/vacuum/broom/hands/attention/every waking moment?
Errands, although he does like his new big boy car seat:
Hayden in car seat

Half a dozen chores Hayden loves

 

Hayden 13 months 083.jpg
Sweeping.		 Hayden dishes
Dishes.
Hayden dusting
Dusting.		 Hayden bathing
Bathing.
Hayden watering the lawn
Watering the lawn. See how he’s standing in the sprinkler path and has water all over him?		 Laundry. Sorry, no pictures of him pulling the clean clothes out of the basket or getting caught in his hamper. Okay, okay, scroll down to the third picture in this post to see Hayden trapped in hamper.

My house should probably be a lot cleaner than it is with a little boy so obsessed with instruments of torture tidiness.

Categories
Random

Six of one, half a dozen of the other V

Yeah, I skipped last week. Whoops!

Six Motherly Chores That Really Bug Me

  • Diapers: but only when Ryan’s around.
  • Keeping Hayden out of stuff like the cat’s food and water, the trash, things I don’t want ruined, etc.
  • Laundry. Take a week off and BAM, you’re drowning in it. Oh, wait, that’s true of everything…
  • Feeding him solids used to bother me, but it’s not such a big deal anymore (now it takes more effort to feed myself!).
  • Taking out his trash or is that diapers again?
  • Going out: From gathering up everything we’ll need (though I’ve progressed to keeping his bag almost entirely ready) to struggling with him to get into the car seat (though that’s improved, too, since he switched to a big boy car seat). Despite those improvements, it seems like the smallest trip to the store or the gym is a major production.

Six Motherly Chores That (Surprisingly) I Don’t Mind

  • Diapers, especially when I’m the only one around to change them.
  • Still nursing at 14 months, though I am beginning to wonder when we’ll eliminate these last two feedings.
  • Feeding him solids once we really got into a rhythm with feedings, it’s not that hard.
  • Getting up with him at night now that he’s gotten much better about sleeping through the night.
  • Cleaning up his toys: he’s not that messy (yet).
  • Baths: they’re just so much part of our routine that they’re not a big deal anymore.

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Categories
Kids/Parenting Random

The Giant Compendium of Teething Tips

My son currently has six teeth: but not the six you’d think. He has three on top and three on the bottom—and not even the same three! I’m guessing the other two teeth will come in soon (one has been ‘trying’ for a while, one not so much), so we’ll be dealing with teething for a while.

It seems like a lot of moms, myself included, are at a loss when it comes to teething. It may be one of those times that you just can’t make everything all better, but there are more than a few ways to help ease your child’s pain. I’ve scoured the Internet for everything from the mundane to the unusual in teething tips, and now, for your gnawing pleasure, “The Giant Compendium of Teething Tips!”

Old Standbys

  1. Massaging baby’s gums (if s/he will let you!)
  2. Teething biscuits
  3. Zwieback
  4. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, paracetamol)
  5. Ibuprofen (Motrin; better than Tylenol because it also relieves inflamation, the underlying cause of teething pain) Note that you can stagger these two medicines and administer every 2-3 hours, alternating which medicine you give
  6. Teething rings (freezing them is old school; refridgerating them may be better)
  7. Damp rag, frozen
  8. Baby gum numbing gel
  9. Cold or frozen foods (including ice) in a mesh feeder
  10. Hard objects s/he can’t choke on
  11. Ice chips (small enough not to choke on)

Slightly More Unconventional

  1. Small dampened stuffed animal, frozen
  2. Homeopathic teething tablets (yes, homeopathy is slightly unconventional to me)
  3. Homeopathic teething liquid
  4. Apples, Asian pears, celery, cucumbers, carrots, etc., preferably cold or frozen (small enough not to choke on)
  5. Frozen bagel (small enough not to choke on)
  6. A toothbrush
  7. Carabiner
  8. Music, specifically baby disco (strange only because I’ve never heard of that as a remedy for teething)
  9. Frozen flax bean bags (I suppose rice bags could work, too)
  10. Clove oil
  11. Spoons, especially dipped in cold water or stored in the fridge
  12. Frozen corn syrup gel pack
  13. Frozen applesauce or other baby food, slushy consistency
  14. Magnets

Downright Strange (and Not Recommended)

  1. Pen

Or you could always do what I did last night: mysteriously lose hearing in your right ear and sleep on your left side to muffle the sound of his cries. (I’m kidding—I can’t sleep on my left side.)

Got more? Leave a comment or e-mail me at jordan (at) mamablogga.com !

For more tips to make your life easier, visit Rocks in My Dryer, one of the 30 most Popular Parent Blogs, for Works-for-me Wednesday.

[tags]teeth, teething, parenthacks[/tags]