Obsess much? Camping edition

Yes, FP has called me obsessed. I am. I love just about anything that requires me to collect a bunch of things on the cheap. A treasure hunt!


Here was my list when we got back from our first camping adventure, and the same list now.

Just about everything is checked off. I need bowls, cutlery, and a tarp. I think everything else is optional

Here is the tent we got:


Does it look familiar? It is the exact one we used at our DNR class. I figured, if the DNR thinks this tent is good enough to let beginners set it up and take it down every weekend, then it is probably a pretty okay tent. Plus, REI has a good reputation, right?  It  was a craig'slist find and is in pretty good shape. One of the stays in the rain fly was broken, so I also got to learn how to replace a tent pole section. It is so easy!

Today I decided to see if we could actually fit the air mattresses and the pack 'n' play inside the tent.

The answer, is maybe.
I have no idea if he would actually sleep in it, because he hasn't for probably a year, but if we need it, it'll be there.

Then today, when we visited Pat & Pudge, they offered us their old camp stove. Awesome!

Guess who has left the crib!

Thanks to Deborah and Keith's yard sale!


I just noticed that you can clearly see the quilts Nana made too.

warm weather!

It has been nice to get outside the past couple of days. It is wonderful to see how my kids have changed over the winter.

Felix has learned to climb the ladder to the fort




Both kids decided to become screevers










Everybody was swinging, Relia is getting the hang of pumping, and Felix is big enough for the big kids swing.

Plus, we're enjoying the new sandbox

Pregnancy brain + DST

I am now firmly anti-DST. It is a stupid thing to continue in our global economy (much like the US standard system of measurement, but I digress).

Last night, I set Relia's "Good Night Light" to the correct time before she went to bed, but at about 1 am, I realized that I sprang ahead, instead of falling back. I could not have her thinking it was time to get up at 4, when she should be up no earlier than 6. So I snuck in, climbed up on her bed, and adjusted the time. In the process I woke her up. Ugh. FP told me she woke up 2 more times after that.

We had a great morning. Donna reminded us that Edinborough Park has a pool with open time. We went this morning and Relia swam (with floaties) for about an hour straight. She is loving her independence in the water. Felix was nervous at first, but I think watching Relia helped him get more excited about and comfortable with the water.

I then got to take some time to have lunch with my mom. Just the two of us. I see my parents at least twice a week, but there are always children to be watched, and it is hard to have a deep conversation. A couple of hours alone is like gold. After we ate, we headed down the street to a maternity consignment shop (BEST idea ever). There, we found me a couple pairs of motherhood jeans and 5 gap shirts for $70! Sometimes I think my pregnant wardrobe is so much better than my regular wardrobe, because I allow myself to indulge as compensation for my body frustration. (Not the size, I'm cool with that. It's the lack of breathing room, energy, etc that make me feel crappy about myself).

Then, it was dinner time. Or, I thought it was dinner time. I made the kids supper, and they were having a grand time doing anything but eating. I went to wake FP from his nap, so he would have some time before he had to get up to work. He informed me that it was really 4:00, not 5:00. Geez, no wonder they weren't that hungry.

Providence

Our laundry area in the basement is très awkward.
One of the basins in our double basin sink is pretty much inaccessible, and is a waste of space.


Sunday, I got the idea to put in a single basin and and make it look more like this:


A couple of quick looks on Craig's List throughout the day, and voila!
A single basin sink, about a mile away, for FREE!

Now I just have to get the plumbing parts & do the work ;)

This picture cracks me up

Thanks for: my beautiful children, a risk that paid off

Relia went to sleep without a fight last night so she got a special breakfast -coco wheats (she did it again tonight!)

FP wanted to go to the Stone Arch Arts Festival. I was a little leery of braving the crowds, but it was threatening rain, so it wasn't too bad. Little girl, however, was tired and only lasted an hour or so.

We have been watching this pair of dove siblings since their mom was hanging out on the neighbor's gutter a few weeks ago. They have adopted our yard and let us, even Relia, get quite close to them.

But they started hanging out on the patio yesterday and I'm not happy about all the poop, so now I have to teach them what humans are all about. (chasing and yelling)

The addition of the swing to our yard has been very popular


But has not interfered with the constant dancing.


Thanks for: Dancing and swinging

Finally, a nice productive day

Actually, a productive week.

Got all my teacher stuff in the basement organized, boxed and stacked on Tuesday.

Yesterday, my dad came over and we finally finished off the swing set. It is no longer a deathtrap, eye loss threat with a million screws sticking out of it! Hooray.


I also dug out the front garden. I so wish I'd taken a before photo because It was a mess of nice plants choked by tall grass & weeds that my neighbors were apparently using for an ash tray/garbage receptacle.

Now it is this:


Not super pretty, hopefully the marigolds will perk up, but now it looks like someone gives a crap and it's low maintenance.

And I have all of this left over:


I threw it all in the ground last night, as the light was fading.
There's
-2 big sedum and one little one. I'd love to put them at the top of our little front steps, but I know they need full sun.
-lots of iris
-some snow on the mountain, which I will try to establish next to our air conditioner again. It was there for two years, then just disappeared for some reason.

Sneak peek of photos from Sunday

Here

Another Find

The cloth diaper decision, and multiple backup outfits needs of my big girl has meant that our little Lands End diaper bag is no longer enough.
I had to go on the hunt for a larger one that would be just as fantastic. After asking around and checking them out at stores, I was pretty sure I wanted this Skip*Hop one.

But it was too pricey for me. Of course I headed over to Craigslist, and two days later, guess what shows up:


The bag I wanted and a smaller diaper changing pad/tote for $40!

Yard Sale Treasure Map

Have you seen this? It makes a map based on local Craigslist sales listings. Then, you can add other sales you want.

If you are interested

We got the photos of Felix's birth today from Rachel and I love them.
Here is the slideshow.

Boys

I had the idea in my head that because we didn't know if Relia was a he or a she, I have tons of gender neutral clothes for a tiny baby. Yesterday I went through that giant bin of clothes I had carefully packed away and found about three outfits that aren't blatantly pink. Also, our infant car seat is terribly pink.

Hmmm.

I set on a quest to make our layette & gear more masculine.

Step 1: car seat
Step 2: clothing
Step 3: double stroller

Would you believe I got all of those taken care of in a single Craigslist transaction?
Stroller, car seat & 2 bases for the price of the stroller new. The car seat & stroller are less than 6 months old.


The woman also asked if we knew if we were having a boy or a girl. When I said a boy, she asked if I wanted her to throw in a bag of clothes. Um, sure.

Wow. Tons and tons of seasonally appropriate, newborn, 3-6, & 6+ boy clothes! Plus some adorable hats. I love people that have way more money than me. We are now ready for the arrival of a baby boy.

Maybe you have heard about this.

Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away trunkloads of children's clothing.

The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger -- including clothing -- be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.

I understand where the law was heading, and it really is a risk. Hopefully, the new regulations will make almost all toys safe in several years, when most of the toys have been worn out. But in this case, the end does not justify the means. As many of us seem to be working harder to be "greener" or at least more frugal, this is a move in the wrong direction. For example:



I don't know anything about this, but couldn't the government can collect toys and test samples? Can't warnings be posted? I bought my house and had to sign off on a lead warning, saying that my house may contain lead. Couldn't that be done with used, or handmade toys? At least as an exemption for companies of a certain size?

Thoughts

I have started about 6 different posts that never seemed to go anywhere so I just thought I'd combine them:

• It is AMAZING how our little baby is just copying things like crazy.
• Today Mom & I were sitting in our kitchen having tea. Relia wanted a tea bag so she could dip it in a cup, over, and over, and over... Just like I had just done.
• Apparently the talking to herself thing is a phase. She spent an hour chatting away, after we put her to bed tonight.
• I purchased a book display shelf for $5 a few years ago. I knew was getting an absolute steal, and that may have been the only reason I bought it. It never proved to be useful in my classrooms I just sold it on CL for $40! I told you I was gonna be spending my break on this.
• Speaking of CL, I placed this treadle sewing machine on the site, but I'd be happy to part with it for free if anyone I know (or who knows someone who knows me) wants it.
• For Christmas, Relia received, and loves: a broom, mop & dustpan set, two dollies and a cradle, a vacuum cleaner. How did my daughter get to be such a GIRL?
  She got other things too, but I am so amazed at how much she loves to take care of the dolls.
  

Okay!

She's coming to pick the car seat up tonight! That was so easy. I will probably spend the rest of my break gathering things and posting them for sale!

I did go get the bike trailer too, and OMG, is it in good shape. These people easily could have sold it for twice what I paid, if not more. But, they chose not to, so, lucky me!

my first time!

I just posted a car seat on Craig's list. I have purchased MANY thing from CL, but I have never sold anything. People ask if I'm nervous about meeting people given recent events, but when you consider the gazillions of transactions through CL, the odds of having something bad happen are small, even if you aren't careful about who, how and where you meet.

Wish me luck!