AMChicago's Profile

So much unnecessary junk is marketed to new parents!

I always tried to change the kids on a bed or the floor (with a mat beneath), and I always ended up with a backache. I'm not even that tall. I use the top of a dresser and keep one hand on the kiddo at all times.

I've never had a good way to attach the changing pad to the dresser top, but a non-skid cabinet drawer liner underneath keeps it from sliding around.

We ditched the coffee table to make more room for playing---we have a large, squishy rug (carpet padding underneath) and now it's wide-open space. The room feels much more open. Granted, if you sit in the wrong spot on the sofa, there's nowhere to put your drink. But it's been a good tradeoff. It had nothing to do with safety, because kid #1 was extremely cautious. Kid #2 is fearless, though, so I suppose we may have saved some bumps and bruises by not having a table.

The beautiful thing about a piece like this is that you can re-paint at any time, and maybe after the furniture-damaging kid years, you can strip it and see what's there. If it's gorgeous wood under there, it's a great bonus! Nicely done.

I WISH I was renting! Because then we wouldn't be STUCK here, with the housing market the way it is.

I get the same kind of sympathy when people hear we own a condo instead of a house. "Don't you want a backyard where your kids can run around?" Of course that would be lovely. But unless they're going to give me $50,000 to get out of our underwater mortgage and buy something else, I'm going to accept where I am. And I wish they would too.

I used to fall asleep while looking out my bedroom window at the night sky. And then I had a baby, and discovered the benefits of total darkness, where children are concerned. Since he slept in my room at first, I installed a blackout shade and added white noise. Now it's the only way I like to sleep! I never thought I wasn't sleeping well before, but now I am sleeping MUCH better than ever.

Kids are endlessly creative in finding ways to destroy things. My kids usually don't intend to break things; they're just trying to answer the question, "what will happen if I...." Nevertheless, stuff happens that I would have never anticipated. But we've chosen some specific things that are completely off-limits, with serious consequences, and my kids don't push it. (i.e., pushing on screens, doing anything near the TV/tv stand, hanging on anything indoors.)

I remember touring our condo with the Realtor while the homeowner was home, and they were letting their preschool-age kid hang on the closet door handles. Turned out that many knobs needed repair (repairing a too-large hole in a hollow bifold door = no fun).

Question---please help!! I have a north-facing balcony, but I'm on the west end of the building...and there's another building next to us. So I don't have any full-sun areas, but I have a few feet of railing that get sun in the summer for about half the day. What plants grow under those conditions? And what about plants that handle full shade? I can rig a planter, no problem, but I want something to GROW! It doesn't even have to be food. (I have a squirrel problem, actually, so I'm guessing something non-food would be better.)

My tiny balcony is very nice, actually, but I'd love to have a year without plant failure. :)

I want a cool doorstop! Although I'm at a stage in life where the doorstop's only purpose is to immobilize the door so a little kid can't slam it and pinch fingers. So a cool doorstop that looks like a toy would probably be counterproductive. :( Boo.

Your cabinet & tile colors are like those in my kitchen. I chose a medium/light gray paint for the walls and it improved the look a LOT! (Clark+Kensington from Ace Hardware; color was "Baby Elephant" I believe.) Then I put on a fresh coat of flat white paint on the ceiling, and that made it much brighter. I also put as much stuff as possible out of sight. Even getting a 2-tier fruit basket made my counter look less cluttered.

@wally3: The reason for my preference of a shower curtain is that it can be tied completely out of the way for taking baths. The tracks of shower doors are difficult to get clean....if you look closely, they're often grimy. Ew. Plus I have little kids and doors just get in the way, or pinch fingers. I also like that I can clean my fabric shower curtain liner in the washing machine and hang it right back up.