calu0689's Profile

I am four months pregnant and a tad stressed about people ignoring our registry. I have put a ton of thought and research into the items on our registry and I really hope people use it.

We have already received some items (clothing, diaper bag, disposable diapers, rock n play sleeper) and guiltily returned most of the clothes for stuff that was more our style. I'm not sure what we'll do with the disposables, as we are fundamentally opposed to them. After studying the reviews on the rock in play sleeper I am extremely concerned about using it and never would have registered for or purchased it. I found it incredibly stressful to receive items we didn't ask for or didn't need. I ended up feeling like an ungrateful jerk.

I'm sure these gifts came from a similar place of love to what you're feeling, but I'd be very cautious before going off the registry.

We had a dinner party for my sister-in-law and her new husband who were expecting their first child. We created a banner that said "Congrats & Welcome".

The party was in mid-January.

Last week while eating breakfast and preparing for a graduation party/ housewarming, I studied the banner carefully. I had yet found the motivation to take it down and I convinced myself the banner worked for this party too. In May.

After 5 months I think this banner is just a permanent fixture in your house.

The broom was featured on Young House Love earlier this week and I immediately e-mailed my husband and asked him to buy us one. He researched it and found they are sold at Kohls and Bed Bath & Beyond.

I have not used the broom yet, but I was intermediately impressed with some of the thoughtful design.

In addition to the pet hair claims the broom features an adjustable handle (could make it excellent for shorter people and kids!).

It also has a skid grip on the top of the handle so it can be easily leaned against the wall. The top also has a hook, in case you want to hang it.

The base has bumpers so you don't damage baseboards and walls.

The rubber bristles in the middle are adjustable, so you can make them longer or shorter than the other bristles.

I can't testify yet to the sweeping abilities, but so far I am impressed with the functionality. Cleaning day is Sunday so we'll see!

My mom had a button jar filled with really cool vintage buttons. I had forgotten all about this until I saw the button image on this post. What a lovely memory!

My mom also had some large sea-shells we loved to play with and "hear the ocean."

We also loved to play with my mom's jewelry box, where she kept all kinds of trinkets, including our baby teeth (which we loved to examine). I can still remember the smell of that box ...

All of our family photos were kept in a fruit crate and we all loved to sit around as a family and look at the photos once a year or every few years. We didn't plan it but occasionally my dad would say let's "look at the pictures" and we would all gather spontaneously to study each photo in absolute random order. This tradition has definitely been lost to the digital age.

How fun to think of these memories ... I wonder if I'll share any of these traditions with my kids...

When I was in college I looked after a little one who's mom worked from home for a while. When I arrived I would immediately take the little one out for a walk (we have fairly mild winters in the part of Oregon I live). We would say goodbye to mom and when we came home the house would be "empty." She would occasionally hear a noise or seem to suspect, but I got pretty good at distracting her and the plan worked out pretty well.