March 31, 2011

New obsession

I have a new obsession. Window shopping for items for my house. Currently I'm obsessing over two pieces that would help a lot (aren't necessary, but would help a lot!)

1. Toy storage - we have a lot of toys for Santi. There are things that we haven't even opened for him yet that are in his bedroom closet waiting for a rainy day in the future to pull out. Right now, we have three baskets, but there are a few toys that are larger and don't fit in bins. I love organization, and I also love things that can be hidden (i.e. organized behind closet doors, or bins, etc.) So I would love to get something for Santi's toys that will hold them all, leave room for growth, and allow our living room to not look like it's taken over by our child.

Currently, this is what his space in the living room looks like:


I'm looking to get a storage shelf with cubbies (which I would buy baskets for to store the toys in and hide away) to fit into the area to the right of the fireplace. Originally, I was looking at the Expedit bookcase from Ikea, but it's a little too tall for the space (I don't want to have to move the shelves above that area)

 So a close second is this version from Closet Maid which I have found at Target. It's about $50 and you can purchase canvas boxes to go in the cubbies. I'm not sure about that and might try and find square baskets with the same dimensions since I like the basket look better than the canvas boxes.

2. My second obsession is an entryway bench with storage for shoes. The entryway area we have is small, so we're limited on what we can put there. This is what the area currently looks like:


We have a shoe rack and then a coat rack (not directly above the shoe rack.) This works ok for what we need, but since Santi is bigger, what would be better is that when we come in the door, I have something to set him down on, like a bench, but with storage underneath for our shoes too. Currently, I've found these two pieces on Amazon.com which are front runners. I can't do a three cubby bench because the space is so short (a three cubby bench would run into the area where the door opens.)

Prepac Twin Cubby Bench on Amazon. Currently it's listed at $79 down from $171.
Prepac Twin Entryway Bench  on Amazon.com. Currently listed at $74 down from $227.

I'd also like to get a new coat rack with some storage above it for gloves and hats, or little toys of Santi's, my purse, Tito's wallet, etc. I would hang it directly over the bench for a look like this:


 So I'm looking at this piece:
 
Fremont Entryway Cubby Shelf on Amazon.com. Currently listed at $59, down from $165.

So I've got some budgeting to do! Hoping we can add the toy storage piece first (and soon!) because it's driving me crazy to be able to see every toy from the moment you walk into the livingroom.

March 30, 2011

Good Things...

So I've got a few things that make my life easier, and I wanted to share them, just in case you don't know about them too!

Stopain - this is amazing. I learned about it last year when training for a 10k race. I've used it since then whenever I have muscle aches and pains. This is better than a Ben Gay rub or anything because you just spray it on and you don't rub it in. And there's no gross smell either.

Philosophy's Never Let Them See You Shine - I have an oily t-zone and my skin has changed a lot since pregnancy, and this stuff works! It makes the skin so matte and I don't usually have to reapply powder or anything to my face during the day like I used to!

Clinique Moisture Surge Extra moisturizer - when I got pregnant, my hormones went crazy and I got really dry skin. As in, just out of the shower I could feel my skin getting drier. I needed something that would give me a good amount of moisture during the day but wasn't heavy and wouldn't clog my pores and make me break out. I've used so many other products from Clinique so when I went and talked to the ladies at the counter and they pointed this out to me, I decided to try it. It is amazing. So light, it's more of a gel moisturizer than a cream. And it doesn't make my face too shiny either which is a bonus!

Clinique Youth Surge Night - I use this at night. I actually used this as my all around moisturizer when my skin was really dry during pregnancy. Now I just use a little bit at night and it works so great!

Johnson and Johnson baby oil gel - I discovered this after Santi was born. I use it on my hands (which are super dry from washing all the time with a new baby!) It's great, non-oily and smells so yummy!

Suave Professionals Sleek shampoo and conditioner - I used to use some more expensive shampoo and conditioner and decided to try this one day when I saw it at the store. It works great (especially on my wavy hair in our humid/rainy environment) and smells so good too! And the best part was that a giant bottle was about $3!


Chi Straight Guard - I use a little of this in my hair when I flatiron it, and it not only protects, but it helps to keep down the flyaways!

And on a non-beauty note -

Feline Pine - I've been using clumping litter forever with our two cats. The thing I hate most about it is the clumping and how it makes big rocks of pee for me to scoop out. Using non-clumping litter is worse because all I can smell is cat urine. And I hate the smell. So I decided to use this, and it works so well! The pine pellets neutralize the urine smell so there is NO smell. And when the pellets get wet they basically turn into sawdust. SO much better. It took the cats a little while to get used to it (we put about half of their old litter in with half of this new litter for about two weeks and then just gradually switched to all Feline Pine and they did fine.)

Overheard

I was at Stroller Strides yesterday morning and one of my least favorite people was there. The back story on this woman is that she just generally is always doing something to call attention to herself. Be it chatting about odd things during class, or sharing too much. At the beginning of class we always introduce ourselves, and our kids, and then we usually share one thing. Usually it's something silly like our kid's favorite toy, or our favorite sandwich, or whatever. When it's her turn to "share", she over-shares. As in, for her favorite sandwich, she went into the fact that she doesn't like sandwiches and gave a back story on it. For her favorite Disney movie, she launched into a diatribe about which movies she used to like, her current favorites and her son's favorites and how many times they've all watched them.

So anyway, we were all outside working out, doing wall sits and bicep curls at the same time. This is not a "fun and easy" exercise, so I don't like to talk during it and neither do a lot of the women. Except this woman. Since no one was really replying to her chatter she took to talking to her kids. One of which is 2 and the other is 8 weeks. So the 2 year old looks at her and says "Mama, what are you doing?"

Most of us, if we get this question from our kids while working out would say "Mama's working out." or "Mama's exercising." What does this woman say?

"Mama's doing some work to repair all of the damage you and your brother did to her body."

?? To a two year old? Who repeats almost everything? And you know that's going to come back to her in one way or another. I don't even care what age her kid was - just saying that is pretty bad in my opinion.

I chose to have Santi, and I'm choosing to have another child. I knew going into it that things would change, but the good (having Santi and other kids) outweighed the bad (extra weight, little flap of flab on my belly, 6 inch c-section scar, etc.) Do I wish I could look like the celebrities after they have their babies and c-sections (a.k.a. tummy tucks and lipo?) Sure! But I know that my only way to get things back into shape is through diet and exercise. And I definitely would never blame (even in a joking manner) my child.

March 28, 2011

Happy day!

I picked up the things that I'd consigned at the big consignment sale on Sunday evening. I looked through what I'd sold, and after the commission to the company who ran the sale, I'll come away with about $111.00. Not bad for a two day sale! And I didn't choose to enter my things into the discount day, and chose to pick the stuff up myself. So now I have some more clothes to consign at some local shops here for some credit. And what I can't consign, I'll save until the next consignment sale.

I ended up spending $51 at the sale, but $50 of that was a birthday gift to Santi so truly I spend $1 and some change. So my profit for the whole weekend was $100! Of which I'll put it into Santi's bank account to gain some interest and we'll use towards future clothes or things for him.

March 26, 2011

10 Things Never To Say

So I was watching the 4th hour of The Today Show a few weeks ago, and happened to see a segment where Kathie Lee and Hoda were talking about a recent article that Redbook had posted on their blog where there were "10 Things Never to Say to a Stay At Home Mom." These are pretty interesting, and the most interesting is that I got something very close to #3 from a part time working mom the other night at a mom's night out event I went to!


10 Things Never to Say to a Stay At Home Mom

1. When the kids are older, do you think you'll get a real job?

2. How June Cleaver of you!

3. Oh, so you don't work?

4. Since you have extra time on your hands, could you whip up a few dozen brownies for the bake sale tomorrow?

5. All day with your kids? I can't even imagine.

6. I'm jealous. I wish my husband were rich so I wouldn't have to work either.

7. What do you do all day, anyway?

8. I'm sure you're not the only one who's ever wasted money on a college degree.

9. That explains why your son is so clingy!

10. Weird. I assumed your house would be super clean.


Source: Redbook blog

Consignment Sale

Last night I was able to get early entrance to a consignment sale because I put some of Santi's clothes (and toys!) in to consign. I got there at 6:15 pm and there was a line around the hallway and up the stairs! Once we were in, I was on a mission - I wanted to get a musical activity table for Santi. He's played with these before at people's houses and loves them. New, they are around $40 which is ridiculous. I'd seen one at a consignment store a few weeks ago (but got talked out of buying it) for $16.

So I entered near the toy table and walked around looking for one and didn't see any (there are usually a bunch, so I was surprised.) So I kept looking, because I know they sometimes put things under the tables. Finally, I spotted one, but a woman had parked her stroller in front of two of them. She didn't seem to notice me straining for it, and then when she did, she actually said "Oh, sorry. I was thinking of getting that." I just looked at her and said "Well, there are two - this is the one I want. Do you want it?" And she said she wasn't sure, so I told her I was and was going to snag it. She let me and moved her stroller (only about an inch!) so I could crane my arm in and grab it.

So I ended up with this one (it's the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Alphabet Soup one, which Santi has played with before and likes.)


And the best part? It was $8! Such a great deal!

Then I headed for the clothing racks and managed to get some great deals on summer clothes for Santi (4 polo shirts, a romper outfit, 3 pairs of shorts, an airplane onesie, two other onesies, and a long sleeved t-shirt with a 747 on it which I had to get since that's Tito's plane!) all of which were from the Gap, Tea Collection, Janie and Jack, Old Navy and Gymboree. I also managed to grab a pair of Carter's water shoes for Santi this summer and the best? A pair of basically brand new baby Puma sneakers!


These were also $8 (and are originally $40!)

Total amount spent? $51. I love consignment sales! And I'm hoping I make some money on the things I put in! I'll find out tomorrow!

March 24, 2011

Story time

Today we decided to go to story time at the library that's about 5 minutes down the road from our house. We've never been but were excited to "sing, listen and play" as described on the library website.

When we got there, we were early, so we got out of the car when we saw another mom and her son get out. Santi immediately pointed at the little boy, who pointed back, which prompted the mom and I to strike up a conversation. So we waited around and I asked her if she'd ever been to this story hour before and she said she had once before, and warned me that the lady who did story time was weird.

We went inside a few minutes later (greeted by the story time lady at the door, who seemed normal enough at first glance) and found a seat by the window. I figured if it all went south that at least Santi could look out the window.

After a minute or so, the woman came in, and proceeded to speak in the smallest voice, with this weird attempt at calming tones as possible. I think she was trying to speak quietly for the kids, but it was weird. Then she pulled out a book to "read" at the story time - it was a book with all black and white shapes and no words. In my opinion, when you "read" at a story time, there should be words in the book, correct? So she just showed the pages (which none of the kids - all ages 2 and under - could see anyway.) Then she moved on to some songs (most of which I didn't know, but the other moms seemed to know them and sing along) and then to a felt board with some animals on it where she acted out little scenes like asking if mice lived in certain houses, etc.

Frankly, I was bored the second I sat down, and so was Santi. Any time she sang, he looked at her, but he had no interest in paying attention to the books, which was fine by me. I let him look out the window at the "cahs" as he calls them (his great grandfather would be proud because he says "car" like a Mainer!) and then he toddled around for a bit while I chased him.

Santi is VERY social, so he kept going up to other moms and their kids and smiling at them, touching their hair, etc. It was pretty cute but I kept an eye on him in case he was annoying anyone.

The "story time" lasted 20 minutes, and then they put out three big bins of toys and it was basically a toddler free for all. There were about 30 kids there and each had at least one parent with them. So way too many people in a small room essentially. I plunked Santi down in an area where there were some toys and then sat next to him, but he was too into his truck to notice me. So some of the moms and I attempted to talk but mostly it was taking toys away from our kids when they decided to snatch them from another kid and not share. After 10 minutes, the story time lady came back in (I can only assume she was doing shots in the back room since she ran out of there as soon as the toys came out) and collected the toys. Then everyone left in a mass exit of the library.

Kind of a bust. I don't know, I don't remember story time being like that when I was a kid. Maybe Santi needs to be older, but there were kids his age who seemed interested in what was happening. Santi was more interested in interacting with the adults and kids there. So I don't think we'll be going back. For now he'll have to suffice with me as his story time lady.

March 22, 2011

Feeding a toddler

Santi has always been a good eater. When we started solid foods with him (at 5.5 months old) we were thrilled that he ate any and every puree we put in front of him. When we started giving him more solid food, he gobbled down bread, cheese, yogurt, and then later vegetables (all of them!), fruit, fish, chicken, pasta and ground turkey. Little did we know that when he turned about 11 months old he would decide to become a vegetarian.

Normally when we feed him, we put the food on his tray and let him pick it up and feed himself. Occasionally, if we give him applesauce or yogurt, we'll feed him. Lately, when there's a meat on his tray, he refuses to eat it, eating everything else around it and leaving the pieces of meat. So we have to be creative. What has worked for us is to put the meat pieces IN his applesauce or yogurt. We don't know why this works, because he clearly sees us putting the pieces in there (and has come to like "helping" by putting pieces in himself!) but it does.

If we don't do this, the following video is what happens. I call it the "Santi dance"...he's quite good at it!


AAP: Toddlers in rear-facing seat until 2

We just learned about these new guidelines last week at Santi's 1 year well child visit. We already had intentions of keeping him rear facing until he couldn't stand it any more. Our max for our car seat at rear facing is 40 lbs. Right now he weighs 24lbs, so we have at least another year until he's 40lbs.

Some people make the argument that kids will want to turn around to see things, but frankly, he knows no different. And he looks out both windows and the back window when he's back there anyway!


By Sasha Emmons, Parenting.com
March 21, 2011 7:37 a.m. EDT

Click to play
(Parenting.com) -- In a new policy statement published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics now advises parents to keep toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they exceed the height or weight limit for the car seat, which can be found on the back of the seat.

Previously, the AAP advised parents to keep kids rear-facing as long as possible, up to the maximum limit of the car seat, and this has not changed.

But it also cited one year and 20 pounds as the minimum for flipping the seat, which many parents and pediatricians interpreted as conventional wisdom on the best time to make the switch.

The new policy clarifies the AAP's recommendation, making age 2 the new guideline -- a real game-changer for parents of toddlers.

A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention found that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or to be severely injured in a crash if they are rear-facing. Another study found riding rear-facing to be five times safer than forward-facing.

"A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body," said Dennis Durbin, M.D., F.A.A.P., a pediatric emergency physician and co-scientific director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and lead author of the policy statement and accompanying technical report.

Recall Finder: Check if your child's car seat has been recalled

Parenting talked to Ben Hoffman, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and a child passenger safety technician, to get answers to parents' most pressing questions about the new policy.

Although the new baseline is now age 2, the AAP has advised parents since 2002 to keep kids rear-facing until they reach the height or weight limit of their car seat. Why are parents so eager to turn their car seats?

"Parents are interested in milestones, and the minimum of one year and 20 pounds has been interpreted as gold standard instead of the minimum," says Hoffman. "Parents are always looking for the next stage of development because in every other scenario, that's a good thing. With car safety seats, however, that's often not the case."

But isn't forward-facing easier for everyone?

Yes, it's easier to interact with your child when she is facing forward, and less awkward to get her into the seat. But safety should be the main concern. "I would ask parents to consider the protection of the child in addition to comfort," says Hoffman. "It's minimally acceptable to change to forward-facing at a year, but parents can do better than that."

What about squished legs?

Kids who have been only rear-faced will most likely not be bothered, since they don't know anything else. And it's completely fine for their feet to touch the seat back, or for their legs to bend. "Once you make the switch, it's hard to go back, so try not to ever switch them before they are ready," says Hoffman.

Why are so few parents aware of even the older guidelines that say kids should stay rear-facing as long as possible?

There may have been some confusion with the message, with many parents mistaking the minimum for the ideal age to make the switch. The AAP hopes that by making age 2 the new guideline, the message will be less confusing for parents and for pediatricians.

If my child turns 2 before he reaches the height or weight limit for the seat, should I keep him rear-facing?

Yes. The safest decision is to keep him rear-facing until he reaches the height or weight limit for the seat.

If my child reaches the height or weight limit for my seat before age 2, what should I do?

Once your child exceeds the height and weight limit of his infant car seat, purchase a convertible car seat with a higher height or weight limit (most go to 35 pounds rear-facing) and continue to use it rear-facing until age two, or until your child hits the height or weight limit for rear-facing use. At that point you can make the switch to forward-facing-- or you can purchase a convertible car seat with a higher weight limit for rear-facing (some go up to 45 pounds). "That's a very personal decision for the parent," says Hoffman, one that may also be influenced by the size of your car, the arrival of a younger sibling, or your budget.

What should I do if I've already switched my under-2 child for forward-facing?

The best advice is for parents to consider switching their child back to rear-facing. But the next best thing is to, at a minimum, make sure you correctly use the seat you have: Make sure the seat is harnessed tightly to the vehicle, that the harness is snug over the child and the chest clip is in the correct position, and that the seatbelt or LATCH system are installed correctly.

Why didn't my pediatrician tell me about this?

"Pediatricians should be talking about this," says Hoffman. "But given everything else that needs to happen in a well-child visit, sometimes this message gets left behind. I would love to see a day where every family-care health provider knew the best possible advice and shared it with their patients."

Recipe share

This is a favorite in our house and we make it often. It's a quick meal to make. And when I make it, I take the insides of the zucchini and use it to make zucchini bread! So I get two things out of one recipe!

Middle Eastern Stuffed Zucchini

Makes: 4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Microwave: 8 minutes
Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe 4 servings


  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories 379
  • Total Fat (g) 23
  • Saturated Fat (g) 8
  • Cholesterol (mg) 152
  • Sodium (mg) 473
  • Carbohydrate (g) 22
  • Fiber (g) 4
  • Protein (g) 26

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients
  • 4 medium zucchini (about 6 ounces each)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 medium-size onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts

Directions

1. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, carefully scoop out flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell around edges. Discard flesh.

2. Place half of the zucchini, cut-side down, in an 11 x 7 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Add 1/2 cup water and cover with plastic wrap, venting one corner. Microwave 4 minutes. Place cooked zucchini in a large baking dish. Repeat with remaining zucchini.

3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add green pepper, onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Crumble in chicken. Stir in raisins, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and stir in cheese.

4. Fill each zucchini half with about 1/3 cup stuffing, then sprinkle the pine nuts over tops. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.


Recipe credit Family Circle

March 21, 2011

Guest room closet mess

In the last post, I mentioned that I had two closets I wanted to reorganize since I'm now at home full time with my son. The first I showcased in the last post. The other closet was in our guest room/office.

Part of the closet has always been my craft space since we moved in. I like to scrapbook and do paper crafts, so I need space to store all of the items I have (and I have MANY!) Since I'm not afforded a room like some people I know, I have claimed a closet for my shelves and things. I'm hoping in our next space I'll be able to have a desk and a corner of a room if not a room itself.

The other half of the closet was used as a guest closet when my father in law stayed with us for 6 months to help with childcare and my mother in law was here for two months for the same reason. I didn't want them living out of a suitcase for that amount of time so we shuffled some things around to give them space. We also used a portion of this side though as coat storage and miscellaneous storage for things like my wedding dresses and one of our undegraduate caps and gowns (why, oh why do we have this?) and a few other random things. And the shelf on the top holds the 4 bins of Christmas decorations we have (yes, we have 4 bins - and I could probably add a 5th now but I have nowhere to store it so I cram everything into the 4 still.)

So here is the closet before:


Please note the random things in this closet, including, bag of gift bags, computer case with no computer, speakers to a computer that don't work (I have no idea why we are holding onto these but I'm under strict instructions not to get rid of them), fans (below) and a roll of wrapping paper.

On my craft side, things just basically began to be shoved into here, since someone was living in the room for 8 months, I wasn't able to get in and craft. So anytime I had something I'd want to add to a scrapbook page, I'd just shove it into this closet. Also note, crammed in between the bins above are the overflow of Christmas - a tree skirt and three new Christmas stockings for next year (embroidered with our names on them and ordered for 50% off from Pottery Barn after Christmas 2010.)

So I did the same thing and took everything out of the closet to see what could go where. I then went through it all and got rid of things that either didn't belong in this closet or I wouldn't use anymore (although I wasn't able to get rid of those dang speakers!)

My goal was to make what was the guest half of the closet into our linen storage, since our sheets had been stored in my son's room (logical place, right?) and our towels were stored partially in the guest bathroom and the other half along with cleaning rags, were stored on the top shelf of our pantry which is a tiny broom closet in our hallway. (Did I mention we have little to no storage in this house so I really have to be creative with finding places for things!)

So I got all of the linens and towels from around the house and arranged them all on the white shelves. I also added a two-shelf shelf to the far right of the closet, pushing it all the way in even to where it can't be seen. On the bottom shelf I put the odds and ends that couldn't go anywhere else (eh-hem, the speakers) and also the bag of gift bags and wrapping paper supplies. On the top shelf I put the extra guest pillows and two rolled up egg crate mattress pads that we use for our guests.

The end result was this:



It's not perfect but it's oh so much better. I've come to the realization that we have a lot of towels (and I got rid of some!) and a lot of sheets. But we use them all so we're keeping them until we don't. I put towels on the top shelf and the next two shelves are sheets (in sets) and the bottom are rags for cleaning as well as extra duvets and an extra bath mat.

And for the craft side, I didn't do much, since there wasn't a lot of option as to rearrange things, but I was able to do some organizing.


On the very top I have the ribbon spools, then there are some boxes I've had forever that hold markers, colored pencils and a few other miscellaneous things. Then on the left shelf I've got the first two containers are paper storage, some extra albums, and a tray of tools (scissors, brad stuff, etc.) On the bottom shelf I have some more tool storage, then the plastic bin has stamps arranged by type, and the other bin has ink and my paper cutters are here too.

On the right shelf are craft magazines on the top (along with some overflow of napkins and linen storage), then the second shelf is buttons, ribbon scraps and such (all in glass containers together.) The next shelf down has plastic containers with stickers and brads and embellishments, and punches, and the bottom shelf has an organizer that holds all of my alpha stickers and chip board and the other plastic bin holds photos for upcoming pages.

So once again, not perfect, but it works SO much better. And this re-organization cost me $0 which is even better!

March 20, 2011

Closet mess

So I consider myself to be an organized person. However, life happens, and even the best organization can turn into a mess. I set goals around the house of things to be re-organized, cleaned out, etc. when I decided to stay home full time with Santi. I figured I could tackle things while he napped. My main goals were two closets - one was our guest room closet which had been used as a real closet for my father in law when he was staying with us for 6 months and my mother in law when she was here for two months. One half was also used as my craft closet, but since I couldn't get into the room to "craft" it became a "throw it in there and I'll deal with it later closet."

The other closet was our bedroom closet. When we lived in our old place we actually had a hallway that led to the master bathroom that had one full sized closet on each side of the hall. I loved it. But when we moved here, we realized we had to share one closet along one wall. And the water heater was in the closet as well, cutting out some space we could have used for hanging. So I took one side and my husband took the other.

And after awhile, this is what it looked like (embarrassingly enough!):

My side


Husband's side:


So it's not as bad as it could be but it made me dread opening the closet doors. So I was on a mission to make us more organized. And to do it on the cheap (i.e. using as much of what we might already have in the house without buying more "organizing" tools.) So I scavenged the house and found a few bins and a rolling plastic dresser thing, and then made a trip to Storables and Target and picked up two more bins and two hanging dividers.I also went to Marshall's and got two pants hangers and two hangers for button down shirts, as well as two tie/belt hangers. I spent about $40 total.


I set aside one morning after I'd put Santi down for his morning nap. I pulled everything out of the closet and laid it on on the bed and floor near it in piles. Mostly shoes, then my clothes and my husbands clothes. We are limited on storage space so the closet, which is very tall, is also used for some miscellaneous storage such as old Halloween costumes, our wedding cake topper (definitely "miscellaneous!" my high school year books and high school diploma and our college diplomas. I pulled it all out and made another pile.

Then I started taking my husband's button down shirts and putting them on the hangers (they are one hanger wide but hold 5 shirts each. I decided to switch his side and my side since one side is all for shirts and dresses to hang and the other side has a shelf in the middle for more storage. I'd originally had the side where everything only hangs, but the water heater is on that side so it was really cramped.

Before putting things back into the closet, I took the opportunity to go through everything and pulled out anything that was too small (my husband had a number of shirts that were too small!) or we just didn't wear anymore. I made piles of donate and consign.

I then put everything back in his closet, and organized his things by type (button downs/dress shirts in one area, dress pants in another, t-shirts in another, etc.) I had room to put his jackets in there as well since we don't have a hall closet for coats. I also took his shoes and switched the shoe racks I'd had and gave him one with more room. I still had to put some shoes on the floor but there was so much more breathing room.

I was even able to add in all of his jackets, and also things like my wedding dresses that were being stored in another closet where there was really no room.

I then tackled my side, and arranged all of the items by type and then by color (I was organized just by color before and often was digging through for certain things.) So I have all sweaters by color in one part, then dress shirts by color in another, then casual shirts in another, and then dresses by color on the far right since I don't wear dresses everyday.

I had space on the bottom row as well so I put all of my jackets, dress pants, skirts and then tank tops down there. And I had enough room to put my two shoe racks in the closet and get all of my shoes and boots in there.

I was also able to maximize the top shelves for sweaters and maternity clothing. And have space below for extra hangers as well. Again, this is not my ideal closet, but it's definitely a lot better than it was!

I was able to only use one of the hanging organizers (sweaters and ski pants are stored in here) and took the other one back to Target. I also didn't use the rolling storage at all, since there was no floor space for it, and it didn't make sense in the closet. So I reused it and it's now in my son's closet and holds his extra diapers when we make big purchases at Costco. It'll eventually be used in his room for either clothing storage or toy storage.

So all in all, a great improvement for my husband and I when it comes to finding things. And I'm also happy to say that three weeks later, the closet still looks like that!

Opening a birthday card

Grandpa John and Grandma Kathy sent Santi a musical card for his first birthday - he wanted to dance but was really interested in reading the card and pointing out pieces of it!

Walking with his arms up

When Santi walks he always has his arms up in a "stick em' up" fashion...we're hoping he won't continue this into adulthood but for now it's pretty darn cute, as well as it helps him balance!

Future soccer star

So Santi got a mini soccer ball for his birthday from his Tio Dani and Ciocia Agi. He's already getting the hang of it!

March 15, 2011

Santi's 12 month letter

3/15/11

Dear Santiago:

You are 12 months old today. I can’t believe how fast this past year has flown by. It seems like such a short amount of time but, cliché as it is, we feel like you’ve been in our lives so much longer than just 12 months!

We celebrated your first birthday this past weekend with friends and family. Your Tio Dani flew in from NC to help you celebrate. You had a great time, and even tried some cake, although you found it a little too messy, and much to mommy’s liking, you didn’t smash it in your face at all!

You’re a walker now! You take steps all over the place, and will usually fall down and keep on by crawling. You are so funny because you will start to walk from the couch to your toys and halfway there you’ll realize you’re walking, and usually will stop and clap for yourself. And then once you realize you’re walking, you will usually fall down!


Here are some of the things you’re doing this month:

• Walking!

• Saying 18 words (agua, mama, dada, mum mum, cheese (sounds like “sheese”), quack quack (cack cack), car, cat, ese (that in Spanish), whoa, whee!, fish (shh), chicken (icken), truck (uck), wawa (water in English), poop (poo-p), peas, goal!

• Standing for longer periods of time

• Holding a spoon, although not being super coordinated with it yet

• Asking for agua when you’re eating

• Wearing size 4 diapers during the day and size 5 nighttime diapers at night

• Wearing size 12 -18 month pants,12-18 month shirts, 12 and 18 month onesies

• Wearing size 4 shoes and some size 5 shoes

• Wearing size 12-18 month hats

• Drinking whole, organic milk – no more formula! You have about 4 bottles a day, usually between 4oz and 6oz each


We are still in awe that you are 1! You are such a happy, smiley little boy, and when you’re sleeping, we often find ourselves saying that we can’t wait for you to wake up so we can play with you and watch you learn as you play! We love you SO very much! Happy 1st birthday!!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

I can't believe it...

I know when they say that time flies after you have a child. But I truly didn't think I would literally blink and Santiago would go from this -



to this -



(How crazy I had basically the same pose 11 months later??) :)

One year ago today, this was my reality:







And now THIS is my reality:







Happy 1st birthday to my sweet, happy, smiley, handsome little guy! Love you so much!

March 13, 2011

In 2 days...

In two days I will officially have a one year old. I have no idea where the year went. My little boy has gone from a tiny little lump who just ate, slept, pooped and cried to a little person who now walks, talks, plays (and falls down), smiles, giggles, and makes us laugh everyday.

Yesterday we celebrated Santi's birthday with some friends and family. It was a great day, and we gave Santi some cake, which he liked putting his hands in but then didn't moosh it all over himself (another sign he's my child - no messes!) He had fun playing with the other babies that were there, having crawling races with other kids and just enjoying the attention. It is hard to believe he is one, and just how much he'll change this year. By this time next year, he'll be running around the house, be talking in sentences, asking questions, and still making us laugh everyday.

We love you Santiago - thanks for a great year!


March 2, 2011

Santi's 11 month letter

2/15/11

Dear Santiago:

You are now eleven months old! We only have one more month until you are no longer considered a newborn and are officially a toddler.

You are on the move! You are so fast when you crawl and love to have us chase you! When we chase you down the hall, you laugh and giggle and always stop to look back to make sure we’re still coming.

I’m staying home full time with you now and love it. We get to spend so much time together and have a great routine of waking at about 7am, having a bottle, playing, having some breakfast, nap, then you wake up and we play some more, you have lunch, play, have a bottle and then take another nap, and then after that when you wake up you have dinner, and then you’ll have a bath, bottle and go to bed. When daddy comes home after work, he helps give you dinner, plays with you and usually gives you your bath and bottle. He loves this special “Daddy/Santi” time!

Some mornings we go to Stroller Strides and you are so good sitting in the stroller the whole time. When you get to get out at the end of the class, you are so happy crawling around and meeting all of the other little kids.

You have started cruising around the livingroom while holding on to furniture! And you’ve taken steps! You can now walk independently between Mommy and Daddy, or sometimes between pieces of furniture! We know it won’t be long before you’re running around the house!


Here are some of the things you’re doing this month:

• Taking steps independently!

• Using your push toy and walking around the house with it

• Saying 17 words (agua, mama, dada, mum mum, cheese (sounds like “sheese”), quack quack (cack cack), car, cat, ese (that in Spanish), whoa, whee!, fish (shh), chicken (icken), truck (uck), wawa (water in English), poop (poo-p), peas (dees)

• Standing independently

• Holding your bottle on your own

•Holding your sippy cup on your own

• Taking some sips out of a regular cup

• Wearing size 4 diapers during the day and size 5 nighttime diapers at night

• Wearing size 12 -18 month pants,12-18 month shirts, 12 and 18 month onesies

• Wearing size 4 shoes

• Wearing size 12-18 month hats

• Eating about 4-6 oz per feeding in four bottles a day


We’re really excited for your birthday next month and have truly enjoyed this past year with you. You are such an amazing little boy, and have given us a reason to smile each and every day. We love you so much!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Playing with daddy

Santi loves to play hide and seek and one of the places he loves to do it is around our ottoman we're using as a coffee table...sometimes he drags us into it as well!

Walking!

We have walking!