Smarter Than a Second Grader? Apparently Not.

I have always wanted a large wall clock for my apartment (I love clocks) but they're expensive, costing upwards of $50 even at Target.

I was thrilled when I found this clock at Century 21 for just $15.

Well, a couple weeks ago my friend's second grader pointed out why the clock was only $15. Can you tell?

Special Exhibition: "Wolf"

by a Nine Year Old (American, 2002-present)
Magnets on Fridge

A wolf, the word and a connecting arrow.

Yancy's reaction: "Her typography is fascinating."

Suggestions for a family project?

I need some suggestions. My family wants to find a project we can do together while we eat junk food and gab on our one-week vacation.

Although we're all creative, none of us have a craft hobby. My mom sews well and has a lot of beading/jewelry-making supplies. We've already tied quilts for everyone.

It would be neat if we all left with some sort of keepsake, but we're all very practical, so it would have to be something that isn't just decorative.

Last year, our project was taking pictures for my brother who is serving a mission for our church so that he would know we missed him. All the pictures included a cutout of his head.


What have you done that has been fun?

Unique Baby Gift and Service Ideas

I'm going to a shower this weekend for a friend who is having her second boy. She already has many of the things you'd typically give at a shower, so I've been thinking about non-traditional baby gifts -- things I've been using a lot since having the baby that aren't baby items.

Here are my best ideas:

• Handheld Shower Head with a long hose. So convenient for spraying off a messy baby, filling a baby bathtub or pressure washing soiled clothes.

Photo from here:
http://sharpieuncapped.com/default.aspx

• Sharpies. I use them to label pumped milk, frozen homemade baby food, opened containers of baby food, toys, and my maternity and baby clothes that I lend out. Besides, who doesn't get just a little excited about that sharpie rainbow pack?

• Paper and plastic plates, bowls and cutlery. Credit to Amy for this idea. For those first few weeks, it is so nice not to have to do dishes.

• Plastic bins for toys or baby clothes that the baby isn't currently using.

• Water bottles, preferably the non-spillable kind. You have to drink a ton of water when you're nursing and the thirst tends to hit you when you're in the middle of feeding the baby. A handy water bottle that doesn't spill when the baby kicks it over is so convenient.

I've also been thinking about ways to serve families with newborns. (I need to do a little less thinking and a little more serving!) Having people bring meals was so much more helpful than I ever realized, but that's not always convenient for the giver. Here are some other ways to serve:

• Returning containers. Those delicious meals people bring by usually come in a container. Offer to pick up the containers from that week and return them to the cooks. This is especially easy if you're going to see a bunch of those people at the same time (like a family gathering or at church). 

• Washing baby clothes. I feel a little weird having someone else wash my clothes, but baby laundry piles up quickly and is not embarrassing to have a friend clean. Offer to do a load of the baby's laundry when you do your own.

• Pre-washing baby clothes. You don't have to pre-wash your baby clothes, but new clothes do tend to shrink on the first wash. I've had some outfits that Baby Z only wore once because after a washing, they didn't fit.

• Sending the news. I loved it when people from my congregation at church would email me a quick update on what I missed at Sunday services.

• Taking over snacks. I couldn't believe how often I was hungry when I was first nursing and recovering from delivery. I loved having ready-to-eat healthy snacks that were easy to eat while I was feeding the baby or quickly available for a midnight snack. My favorites: clean pre-cut vegetables, hummus, Wheat Thins and cubed cheese. Oh, and Haagen Daz chocolate chocolate chip ice cream. Mmmm.

Other ideas?

My Gorgeous New York

See the full size photo here.

Walking through Times Square, you'll see vendors on nearly every corner who are selling beautiful photographs of New York City. They all carry the same shots of the same famous places -- a tourist's New York.

I was delighted when my brother in law posted some beautiful pictures of places in New York that are precious to me. You'll need to click on the picture or on this link to his post to see them full size.

See the full size photo here.

My favorites:

• #5 The Shop Around the Corner Street -- Used to walk home from work every day on this street.
• The leaves in Central Park -- Fall is the most wonderful time of year in NYC. Good bye humidity; hello holidays! And these pics are from a gray, rainy day -- the kind that only draws locals with a place to be into the park.
• #1 The floor in Yancy's office -- Many of NYC's buildings are old (for the United States) and the aging floors, doors, brick, etc. gives them so much character. (Makes up a little for the roaches.)

Also check out the beautiful doorway and rooftop shots in Soho from this post.

My GDP Is Declining

Yesterday, to cool off and encourage Baby Z to eat a
little solid food, we tried a baby prune-sicle.

I'm not sure if he actually swallowed any.

Two summers ago NPR aired a story that talked about how countries with low GDPs tend to be in hot places, while the more successful economies tend to be found in cooler climates. Years when a country's average summer temperature is high, GDPs tend to be lower than in other years.

I don't know about countries, but I can tell you this: My domestic productivity goes down when the temperature goes up.

Motivation to do things -- like writing a blog post every day for a week, for example -- melts away. All I want to do is lay in front of the fan and eat popsicles and ice cream sandwiches.

Yancy: If you want any homemade dinners this week, we better get the AC installed.