JessicaBDesigner's Profile

My child was able to unlock very sophisticated "child-proof" locks at the beach home we rented this summer. We were told no child who stayed there before had ever escaped the house, or tried to. And my kid was two years old at the time - it was such a headache. Security isn't guaranteed by locks or what's written on packaging. Lovely as this home is, I'd have to pass until my children were older. It IS beautiful - not really child friendly in my book though.

These ideas so far are excellent. To add, as the mom of a 2.5 year old, I'd suggest dips!

You could try building a repertoire of 5-10 different homemade sauces (ones that store in the fridge for a while, too) and serving 3 a day. For example: homemade applesauce, bbq sauce, herb dip, hummus, tzatziki, honey mustard, fruit salsa, yogurt dip, etc... Inevitably, some will be instant hits and this could overshadow the less successful mains you make while you're getting acclimated.

Perhaps if you can get some specialized dishes with spaces for several condiments in them, or even little paper condiment cups that would be good. A lot of kids will open up to eating new or healthy foods if they have the choice and fun of sauces. Though some kids do better with less selection, this may allow the teacher to identify which kids like which sauces and they can dole them out themselves.

It sure makes plain chicken, fish, and tofu more fun!

"Like most people these days, we have stainless steel appliances in our kitchen."

Do "most people" really have stainless steel appliances? I can't imagine that's actually the case, considering the cost of them. Unless you mean most upper middle class people in urban areas.

I really love this idea, and I appreciate the fact that you've taken the time to 2-year-old-proof it even more! Some much stuff is good in theory bad in practice, and this is a great job all around!

The closet looks like a good option. Babies take up a lot of space, but contrary to popular belief their stuff doesn't have to. You can get a crib with storage underneath. See about taking the bi-fold doors off of one or both of the sides -- you can leave in some regular high shelving, and open up some of it with room to shelve books on a ledge or put in a small dresser. Remeber, baby clothes only hang a foot or so down -- a dresser would likely fit underneath. Or, you can treat one side of the closet as baby's (open) and one still as yours for off season things (closed). This would be such a fun nursery to design, in my opinion!

FYI -- I think "M" is mechanical.

Definitely try Community Forklift! Also, I'm not sure what you're looking for exactly but you could also take a trip out to Luckett's (past Leesburg). They often have old doors and windows for sale. They're not super cheap, but I'd imagine a piece of wood like that isn't either...think $100-$200.

If he likes to eat out or is open to the idea, I'd try taking him to a tapas restaurant and making a night of ordering as many dishes as possible. If you get 15-ish small plates and are diverse in your selections (that's fun, he can't object to that, can he??) then it's highly unlikely he won't like a few of them. Maybe you can try to recreate some new dishes or incorporate new ingredients at home?

I would definitely steer clear of the mentality that "well, he likes fried chicken, so let me try to make lots of different kinds of chicken." I'm not picky but I do find that when I have a specific expectation I'm less likely to be pleased.

Who cares? I think that if you have an allergy it's your responsibility to share that with the host, and the host's responsibility to convey that to the guests. Other than that, for me at least, the joy of the cookie exchange is bringing home TONS of treats to look at, eat, and enjoy as another excess in this season of many excesses. I've participated in a party for three years with decorating AND an exchange, and it's delightfully relaxed and open to bakers of all skill levels and passions.

I'm huge fan of Benjamin Moore's Touch of Gray (2116-60) as a warm, pink/purple tinged gray. It's almost violet in certain lights, but because it's so warm it would likely work well with pink/orange textiles. I'm typically really opposed to choosing a color remotely, but it's definitely worth a test!

--Jessica @ http://blog.jgbinteriors.com/

Agreed! How about cutting paper towel tubes instead? Then you can avoid Rotovirus as a Thanksgiving side dish.