lellison24's Profile

When I was living in Honduras we'd make this ridiculous but delicious "kahlua cake"...layers of chips ahoy cookies soaked in kahlua and milk between layers of cool whip. We'd freeze it overnight and it was SO GOOD. It might be one of those things that just tastes good when you haven't eaten anything processed or chocolate for ages though, I've never made it back in the states.

Any of the cloths that tie around the neck for breast feeding in public. If you (or baby) prefer to be covered, carry an lightweight swaddle with you to throw over your shoulder. I didn't really like either the boppy or brest friend pillow, but preferred the brest friend (despite its ridiculous name).

To reiterate the every parent/baby is different theme...here's my list of stuff I liked that people didn't like above: I personally like the wipes warmer, but I use cloth wipes. I also liked the puj tub, and found it useful for travel, and found it could be made to work and create a clean cushion even in sinks that it didn't fit in perfectly--but we also showered with her or took her in the bath with us and could have easily done without. the baby bjorn bouncer was my favorite of the bouncers, and my daughter really liked the attached wooden toy. The bumbo was not a necessity but my daughter liked being able to sit upright "on her own" before she was actually sitting up.

I slightly regret the changing table--I see its expiration date approaching quickly. I think I would have preferred to invest (probably my time--in refinishing) in a nice dresser. Oh well.

That's so thoughtful of you! What about shepherd's pie? You could make it with lamb or turkey instead of beef, if you're worried about the cow's protein allergy, since for many sensitive babies it includes all cow products, not just the milk. Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Cookbook has a recipe that uses the water to boil the potatoes instead of cream in the mashed potatoes, but you could easily sub your favorite non-dairy milk product for a richer taste.

I hate draino, but our rental had really clogged pipes when we moved in last month. I've had surprisingly fabulous results with baking soda and vinegar. This totally sold me on natural cleaners. If baking soda and vinegar can rival the death juice that is draino, I trust their powers elsewhere in my home!

After lots of research and indecision, I finally settled on the nook for my crib mattress--only to discover they are 53" long...NONE of the cribs I am looking at can accommodate a mattress of this length, do you know any modern style cribs that can?

I slice them really thin and dry them in my dehydrator (you could probably do this in a very very low oven too?) and they are delicious.

In Tempe, AZ

$2000/month for a 1300 sf condo, 2 beds 2.5 bath, 2 car garage, on the lake (which recently popped--but that's another story). Walk to ASU/lightrail/downtown. Mortgage + HOA

In Tucson AZ

$1050/month for 1300 sf house with 3 beds 2 bath, gated car port, and good sized back yard. In a great historic neighborhood, walk to U of A. Rental

Hi Jenny,
It does depend a bit on whether you are living together or not, but my system is very similar to zoeroth. My boyfriend and I have lived together for several years, and we have a shared bank account that we both deposit money into each month for shared expenses--zoeroth's vase is an excellent, less formal arrangement if you don't want to deal with a bank. We are also both students, but make different amounts. We each contribute to the household pot proportionally. We guessed our expenses the first month, and kept receipts for everything for 3 to work out our budget.

I do 99% of the planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning, in part because I like it, part because I am a control freak, and part because my boyfriend only makes stir-fry (the exact same version). He cooks at least once a week, and we usually find ourselves snacking through dinner a couple of times a month. The idea is that he does the dishes, but since I mostly clean as I go it leaves little work for him!

I also find that I spend more than I intend to on meals, despite meticulous planning. My boyfriend is a long distance runner and eats A LOT, so we don't often have left overs, even when I think I've made enough to easily serve a family of 10! Hearty vegetarian meals a few days a week, plus conceding that I can't afford to buy absolutely everything organic helps a little, as does buying all staples from the bulk bins.

Good luck! Working out the details of shared households is challenging, but like others have said open communication is really important...

Way too many -- I have an endnote library dedicated to organizing them, if that's any indication! I love to cook from recipes, and rarely cook the same thing twice, so it is fun to pull out a huge stack, flip through, and figure out what's for dinner.

As an academic I have way too many books, period. For the most part the cookbooks live in cupboards lining the hallway, but spillover are in the office.

Do you squeeze it in cheesecloth or just press it? Is the "skim, watery, milk" skim milk?