just_kazari's Profile

Yup. I'm rather glad I didn't spend a lot of energy on decorating the nursery -- the kid's not going to notice how cute or color coordinated it is for years yet (if ever) because what you need to focus on at the moment is the functional. I have a cushioned rocking chair and a comfortable diaper/clothing changing area in the baby room, which sees the most action. In the living room, there needs to be LOTS of floor space for the baby to roll around in (with all dangly and non-baby-friendly things out of the way of grasping little fingers) plus more comfortable seating.

On the other hand, I do wish I'd spent a LITTLE time decorating the nursery...but I was too tired to bother during my pregnancy and now I'm definitely too tired from caring for the baby to bother, either!

Yeah, depending on where you live it won't do well in a pot. I live on Northern CA and I've tried it in a pot; it quickly overgrows it (even a big one!) and then turns into a giant ball of roots and sickly small leaves that you will have to divide and repot constantly in a single growing season. (If you live in a temperate climate, 'growing season' is year-round.)

It does love the ground however, so unless you're a lazy gardener and want a quick and easy and aggressive (and around forever) ground cover that will take over your entire yard, do not for the love of god plant it in the ground, even in a buried pot.

..........I guess my advice is, don't plant it anywhere if you live in a temperate climate. I bet it'll be more ideal for places with four distinct seasons where winter snows will come and kill it dead or at least check its growth for a while.

I rent, and I like renting, which people act like is such a weird mindset. I like not having to worry about paying for water or garbage, that I don't have to worry about paying for repairs, or paying property tax (which is no joke) or HOA fees. I also like that if I don't like my neighbors or neighborhood, or if the monthly payments get too onerous I can just move out with a minimum of hassle.

Of course owning would be nice because supposedly it's the mark of 'adulthood' (whatever) and being able to paint the walls or own a pet without asking for permission, plus the tax break (which doesn't make up for paying property tax, imo)........but I see my friends and family who own, vs those who don't, and guess which ones are the most stressed out, especially when the economy takes a downturn and everyone's worried about being laid off?

great idea, I love another's commenter's suggestion of doing that for your child's artwork. I wonder if you can spray it with something to keep the paper from fading or warping, though?

I second the framing/mounting it. As paper does NOT age well unless you take precautions like framing it behind UV-filtering glass, it will turn brittle and fade. Also as for moving issues, perhaps having it roll up would be easier to move but moving it framed (assuming you don't get a frame/glass that's ridiculously heavy) should not be that much more of an inconvenience, providing you pack it properly.

my favorite go-to snack everyday is nutella and peanut butter on wheat bread. Yum.

When I'm at Target (or shopping anywhere) I make a list of what I need. Then I go straight to those sections and pick them up, and don't deviate anywhere else. It works really well! (Except I am a sucker for the clearance bins at Target....)

Also, I do a lot of shopping online instead of in person. I find shopping online makes it easier to control your spending because you can see the totals before you check out and you have extra time to step away from the computer and do other things before coming back and deciding if you REALLY need that item. Also, often you can find awesome discounts and coupons for use online.

In my family, I'm the one who powers through illness to get things done... everyone else (coughcoughmyhusbandcough) flails around and acts like he's dying even with the most minor cold. LOL

I have a very young baby so if I get sick I have to go out of my way to avoid giving it to him...plus he can't exactly take care of himself while mom is out of commission. Thank god for the in-laws, who could take him for a little while until I got better.

As a new mom, receiving gently used furniture was great. But I would definitely check the recall status of anything you receive....even the new stuff, because that can be recalled in a flash too. (Register all of your equipment, so the company can contact you if there is a recall!)

I find the suggestion of reusing hand-me-down used cloth diapers a bit much, though.

I am really surprised by a lot of these responses about not teaching the kid to "lie" and "expressing their emotions". There is lots of merit to these approaches, but you also want to teach the child how to appreciate other people's feelings and to understand that the world does not revolve around them, that they are not ENTITLED to get everything they ever want, ever, that they should be grateful and appreciate that another person valued them enough to give them a present. And last but not least, to have basic social skills that allow them to function in society as eventual adults. Learning how to deal with life's little challenges and situations in which they may not be pleased (eg. getting a gift you don't like) with politeness and grace is a very important skill, one that unfortunately not even very many adults have mastered.

If this is how we are raising our kids, we have no legs to stand on to complain about "entitled" millennials and other generations.