Unsafe Baby Toys

I got an email today that listed the every day items that babies play with that are likely to be unsafe.
You can see the article here: Unsafe Baby Toys

I think pretty much every parent has allowed their little one to play with those items. For example:  “Remotes aren't safe to play with,” says Berkowitz. “Remote controls contain batteries, which can be dangerous if ingested."

So with that in mind, babies should not play with anything that has batteries, especially if they know how to use a screw driver.

I thought since I am a parenting expert, I would make a list of things that are, in fact, unsafe for children to play with. 

Knives.  Even though you might only let your child hold the handle side of the knife, knives are not toys. Unless of course they are toy knives. In which case, stab away.

Insulation. Sure, it seems soft and fluffy. But insulation is dangerous because it makes you itchy. So even though it seems like a good toy, I would not offer insulation to my child as a toy. I would, however, offer it as a chore. We need to get this basement project done.

Fire. We all know that children should not be allowed to play with fire. When I was little, I started a fire in the basement with my step sister. This is unsafe to your children because you will get very upset and that hurts their feelings.

Those are really the main things that I feel are important. Knives, insulation and fire. That pretty much sums it up. 

But in all honesty, the fact that those "toys" were even compiled into a list of unsafe toys is so ridiculous. "children under two years old shouldn’t be exposed to screens, like the ones on tablets, smartphones and televisions. That’s because research has found that kids under two aren’t able to understand the educational content, and they learn best from unstructured, unplugged playtime and learn more from live presentations than from video."

Exposed to screens? Are they aware that it is 2012? They don't understand educational content? Then how is it that when my nephew was 18 months old, he could find the Angry Birds app, the MLB app, and Alvin & the Chipmunks on the HBO app? Maybe his time is better off with a good ol' cardboard book, but maybe it's not. (Don't get me wrong, I think it's absolutely necessary to spend some time "unplugged".) 

Claiming that cell phones are unsafe to babies because of poop being found on them is a bunch of baloney because we know that if you have a kid, it's likely that poop particles are found on just about everything in your house. I mean, not mine. My house is clean. But your house has lots of poop particles. You are gross.

I don't need to continue to break the list down, but I just found it ludicrous. You should also know that it took me several tries to spell "ludicrous". Damn you, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and your catchy rap. 

LUDA.

It's a Good Thing I'm already Pregnant...

...because I just hauled out my pregnancy pillow. The chances one would have at scoring while that monster is in the bed are slim.
Have you seen one? Have you used one? It's one of the greatest inventions ever. I used it early on while I was pregnant with Charlotte, and just last night I thought it might be a good idea. I've been feeling mostly fine physically, but noticed my husband has been extra frisky, so I thought maybe this could keep him away. (just kidding.) (nothing could keep him away, he's very persistent.) (kidding again! omg!) (hi, mom!) (but seriously.)

*sigh* Moving forward...
It really is a super comfy giant size pillow which is nice because then I don't need to spend the better half of my bedtime routine (50 push ups, 200 crunches, brush teeth, 400 jumping jacks, wash face, bikram yoga, wam milk) arranging 5-7 pillows into a little fortress around me. It is sort of a pain when you want to roll over, but then again, you aren't losing a pillow here and there and knocking over that glass of milk.

I figured since I don't have any photos of me actually using the pillow, a picture of Jennifer Lopez is obviously the next best thing.

So, moral of the story: if you have a pesky partner who doesn't know how to take a hint, use a full body pillow and fake pregnancy if you have to. It's working for me!

I'm "17 weeks pregnant" and I've never slept so good!

Budget Schmudget

I have a confession.

We do not have a "budget." 

That does not mean we don't aren't on top of things. It does not mean we buy whatever we want all of the time.    It doesn't mean that we aren't saving. But it does mean that more than necessary is being spent. 

In the last few weeks, I decided I wanted to take a deeper look at my habits even though I might be frightened by them. I put it off because I was afraid it would start an argument and I didn't really want to make a change.

I compare a budget to joining weight watchers. I need to be ready to make a change. I need to be excited about seeing how little I can spend but how great it can be. It's like making a delicious filling meal on very few weight watchers points. I think I'm ready!!

For those of you who are super organized and loving your budgeted life, I'm sure this just makes you insane! The places I can cut back on are my spontaneous trips to Target, spending too much on groceries when there is food to be made already in our pantry, and maybe....just maybe...I can cut back on spending on Charlotte and me. I'm not a huge fan of buying second hand, but will definitely do it if I find something I like! But when little kids need a new wardrobe every 3-4 months, it adds up! I need to pack more lunches instead of going out on days that I go to work. 

I'm thinking about trying the whole cash envelope system, but not down to every last penny. I recognize that probably isn't the "right" way to do it, but I plan on using them on the things I need to cut back on. 

I don't really know how much/how little to start with. I know everyone is different, but if you have any helpful tips or suggestions, let me know!

Things I Didn't Teach

Last Friday, I babysat a friend's 3 month old son. She just went back to work, and I remember those days so clearly, yet so much has changed since then. He did so well at my house, I hope my friend doesn't resent me.
I was curious and slightly anxious to see how the day would go with an almost 15 month old and a 3 month old.

I think it went too well. I'm already thinking that having a newborn with be a breeze. I'm so screwed.
All I really have to say is that I did not show Charlotte how to treat the little baby, and I did not tell her what to do. These are all candid moments.

Peeky Peeky

Playing with his little toes

It's sort of hard to tell, but she's bouncing his seat - you can see the hanging fish are all blurry :)

She kissed him a few different times! 

Helping with the pacifer

Hanging out while I cleaned up and packed for my weekend away

Tummy Time!

New Friends!

I had convinced myself that everyone was right and I won't take as many pictures of the new baby when he or she arrives, but just seeing how many I took with a friend's baby sort of changed my mind. :)

The Time When I Went Shopping With My Husband

Marcus and I took a little trip to Chicago this weekend! We were invited to a friend's baby shower on Sunday, so we thought we'd make the most of the weekend and get away just the two of us.
We met up with friends, played cards, ate way way way too much, but best of all, I got him to go shopping with me. I'm being serious.
It ended up being a lot of fun. Mostly, funny. Marcus does 99% of his clothing shopping online. He basically knows what size he wears and hopes for the best once it arrives. We were at H&M and both found some things to try on. Mine happened to be regular priced maternity items, and his were super clearanced  hipster pants. We both crammed into one fitting room and I knew this was going to be funny. I made a comment about  it being like a Hinder song being in the dressing room, but he wasn't sure what I was talking about.
He had no idea what to do with the clothes once he was done. "Do I hang them back up? Where do I put them? That shirt is $24?!"

We both had success, and continued over to Top Shop for even more ridiculousness. The racks were filled with crop tops and hot pants - neither of which are things that I could make work for me. We headed up to TopMan for Marcus and he couldn't help but point out every item that he has seen at Goodwill and announcing that it should be $1 and not $65. There's something funny about seeing a dude shopping and saying out loud "this should be a dollar. i'm not joking. I would pay one dollar for that."

We made our way to a Starbucks and it took way too long to find considering it's a Starbucks in Chicago, but we chilled for a bit and planned our dinner. We were still so full from having dip dish pizza at lunch, we waited about 8 hours before eating dinner and we still weren't hungry. So we had a popcorn appetizer and called it a night.

It was a really nice trip overall. We picked up a little souvenir from The Disney Store (a little minnie mouse) for Charlotte and I felt so oddly sentimental about it. It was the first time we got her a toy while we were away and I feel like she's old enough to make the connection between her Minnie Mouse and the Minnie Mouse she sees on TV. And I don't know...I can't put my finger on it anymore, but I just felt all sappy about it and even got teary while in line. I think I just really missed her. We saw a lot of children there and I think it would be fun to bring my little girl some place soon.

Anyway, that's all for now.
Oh, by the way, Charlotte loved her Minnie. She hugged it immediately and fell asleep with it tonight. My heart has broken into a million little pieces.