PlainGal's Profile

YES. I got so fed up with the awful pastels available in the stores for my son's nursery that I bought fabric in a retro-inspired green/brown/orange color scheme and enlisted my mom to make the curtains, crib skirt, etc. My husband and I bought some inexpensive mid-century dressers off Craigslist, and we get compliments on our son's room all the time.

Now that it's time to transition my son to a toddler bed, I recently ordered cute sheets from a couple of Etsy sellers and plan to go the Etsy route for a comforter as well. The patterns available are a zillion times cuter than anything you find in the big box stores - plus I like knowing I'm supporting small, in-home businesses typically run by moms like myself.

My husband and I were just talking last night about starting a "meatless Mondays" dinner each week, and lots of these soups sound perfect! Janis thanks for the pumpkin soup "recipe" and Whitney's soup guide looks amazing. My husband LOVES chickpeas so b77's soup is probably going to be dinner tonight - thanks guys!

@angus, that was an amazing video - thank you for posting it.

I've got a 1-year-old son and a husband who loves video games. I don't "get" video games and rarely play them, but I know I need to educate myself before my son gets much older, about what is acceptable and what isn't. @Angus's video was eye-opening for someone like me, who tends to look down on video games as time waters or disgustingly violent.

fabulous - the silver spray paint looks amazing.

We're doing a tiny party for my son's first birthday next month. He weighed only 2 lbs 15 oz when he was born, and his nickname is "Teeny" so it seemed like a perfect theme. We're planning a cookout with slider burgers and other mini food, mini invites and mini decorations.

You can find lots of great "tiny" themed parties around the blogosphere for inspiration. Here are a few of the ones I've found:

http://whimsy-girl.blogspot.com/2008/09/wee-fun-at-tiny-party.html

http://thelarks.blogspot.com/2009/10/tiny-party.html

http://thepleatedpoppy.com/2010/06/tiny-party-part-1/

http://armellejewelry.blogspot.com/2010/06/tiny-party-invitations.html

http://thecreativityroom.blogspot.com/2009/04/tiny-two-party-details.html

http://www.annaleahart.com/2010/11/enzos-tiny-party.html

FWIW...my husband and I bought our current house right after we were married; we didn't have kids and didn't plan to have kids for a while. During the house hunting phase, we fell in love with this house despite the mural in their kids' room. It wasn't nearly as cute as yours, but it didn't bother me because I knew we'd be painting anyway. Plus it was not a room we would use right away (like a master bedroom or the kitchen), so painting over it wasn't a huge priority.

I kind of liked seeing the potential of the house - it was really well kept up and obviously very loved. So anyway, it didn't deter us as a childless couple; I think you'd be fine with keeping it and, as many have suggested, offering to paint it.

Our son was a preemie, had breathing issues and spent 3 months in the NICU, so we definitely considered getting an Angel Care for when he came home. FWIW, the NICU nurses and docs were pretty dismissive of monitors like this (unless medically necessary), saying they usually only served to freak out the parents with false alarms, etc.

We considered one, and eventually talked the nurses/docs into sending us home with a hospital-grade breathing monitor (chest strap and all). We lasted about a month before it drove us bonkers and we gave it back.

Honestly, I think it comes down to preference. SIDS is a very real, yet very unlikely, danger. If you believe a monitor would give you peace of mind, then go for it. You'll probably get tired of it after a few false alarms (I know we did) but there are certainly worse ways to spend your money.

FWIW, another parent friend from the NICU used the Snuza Baby monitor on her sons and liked it.

I second RKS. I had a good, well-planned list at BRUs, but I would have loved to get some things not available there - like organic, or non-plastic-y toys, etc from friends with good taste :) But NOT clothes. Sheesh. We got a gazillion clothes, half of which I returned.

My top recommendation: Sophie the Giraffe. My 8-month-old son has a zillion different teethers but he is obsessed with only Sophie. Never had the leg/suffocation thing even remotely happen.

The Boon grass drying rack has been awesome for air-drying bottle nipples, etc.

And it seemed like in the first few months we couldn't have enough receiving blankets. Ours were all cotton/flannel from Target, but I'd have loved some fancy Aden & Anais blankets - lovely but practical.

Jen - I was wondering that, too. There are some good reviews on the site if you click the link provided and scroll down.

LOVE this! And love the orange, too. I'm using orange in the twins' nursery and this would be just perfect. Great price, too.