pennyluxe's Profile

I was driving into work when I remembered that today was the day, so I stopped off at the Vacaville store (in Nor Cal) and it was totally pleasant. They had very small quantities of things like the bike/suitcases, and mostly a single size run in everything else. There were some other people there but everyone was super friendly, we chatted each other up.

I am hearing horror stories....yuck, I can't handle that kind of behavior. It's why I avoid sample sales!

I too had issues while pregnant, and I just stopped cooking all-together. I lived mostly on strawberries and french fries.

As for nausea, I love ginger root in cooking, but I hate the smell in scent-based products and ginger ale does nothing to settle my stomach. I discovered that Peppermint oil is a great remedy, I would sometimes dab it under my nose! I had it ready for my labor but I ended up having a c-section.

Good luck, maybe just take a break from cooking :-)

Also, I wouldn't worry about the cribs being unsafe, companies just have to be super duper diligent when it comes to regulations around baby/kid products.

I haven't found anything essential aside from the bottom basket to collect groceries. I have the Sunshine thing, and while we do use it to hold things like the dog's leash, trying to put any kind of drink in it results in lots of spilling. Cup holders don't work on strollers unless you are on a very smooth surface.

I agree with ek...I have a 9.5 month old who is into everything and while I do think he should learn from his mistakes, and he has the bumps to prove that he actively tries, I really see how childproofing is on par with all of the "crap" in the market. We spend a lot of our time as a family in the kitchen because we love to cook, so childproofing the drawers is essential. And as someone who travels, I think this kit would be quite useful. Would I buy it? I don't know, but I can certainly see how it might be of use for well-traveled families, at least when the kiddos are small.

I am just about the write a blog post about how I have to eat my words, because I HATED the May issue. June, however, was great in the way of content. Not crazy about the Paltrow thing, although I personally love her--the whole cooking in a tight blue dress editorial felt a little...In Style?

That said, I am really happy it seems to have improved, I hope it stays consistent, and they still need to lay off the crazy text treatments, although June wasn't as bad as May.

Pinky, Fine Cooking, hands down. It's accessible but the recipes are not too far-reaching. It's a perfect balance. It's the one I use the most.

I have to use multiple cookbooks. I have to say, I've learned incredibly simple but impactful techniques from chef books like Zuni Cafe. When it comes to simple/traditional recipes I often turn to JOC. Marcella Hazan and Biba are mainstays for Italian. I also love using Fine Cooking magazine as a reference. Of course, I have a gazillion cookbooks that I rarely look at, including The Silver Spoon and Gastronomique. Oh well...I like having them "just in case."

I can't say enough good things about the Gulliver. It's simple, safe and you can't beat the price.

Check into Manhattan Portage. We use one of their messenger bags but I believe they have non-messenger styles...