A Room With A View

When you have a baby, your world becomes a little smaller for a few years. Not in a bad way, because small things like smiles and steps and coos are very precious. But, you aren't exactly footloose and fancy free to set out on adventures. We took a wonderful trip to Italy a few years ago, and I've been working on getting my photos onto DVD. Here are some. Just looking at them makes me nostalgic, but also excited for when we are ready as a family for some fun adventures.

I've been thinking more and more about how precious experiences are as gifts. I remember the trips I've taken so vividly, and I think they are so important.

We are planning a very small getaway this summer - just three nights (about the length of time Nana can wrangle the munchkin), so Italy probably won't be an option. I'm thinking the Caribbean - any advice? And, what is your favorite travel memory? I would kill for some pistachio gelato and prosecco right now :)

Babyproofing

So, I find the term sort of a misnomer, because even when things are babyproof, you still need to watch the baby all the time. Ours has already figured out how to remove the protective outlet covers from the outlets. That said, I have found one amazing babyproofing aid: the retractable baby gate, as found at www.retractagate.com. I'm not sure this link works, but if you google retractable baby gate, it should pop up. It folds away into nothing when baby is in bed, but allows us to use our living room without worry that she will fall down the stairs :).

Thumbs up. I can't tell you how awesome this is. I'm thinking about valentine's day stuff for tomorrow's post, but right now, the miracle of the baby gate is too awesome not to share :)

Tasty Treats, Travel, Rain and Paper

This isn't my photo, but it is from gateau au yaourt.info, which is a french website all about this delectable little cake. It's so easy to make, and the perfect not too sweet and not too rich sort of cake that you can just devour all by yourself. I liked it warm with a cup of tea at night, toasted with jam for breakfast, and then cold with a cup of cocoa. It's the perfect dessert for beverages, because it doesn't overwhelm them. Check out Chocolate and Zucchini's recipe - it's fantastic.

In other news, I've started applying for the munchkin's passport. I figure we will want to take her places at some point, and it takes so darn long for the thing to be ready. Speaking of which, where would you recommend taking babies for a vacation? Any ideas?

It was pouring again today. So, we headed to the mall, went to a Junior League meeting and tried to stay dry. It's clearing tomorrow - I hope!

Tired

The munchkin and I went out for a marathon walk this morning - all the way to the promenade and back. We met friends and played in Palisades Park, then headed back home. I always forget that walks wipe me out, but she's just storing up energy in the stroller. My goodness, what energy!

Costco

So I went today - and it's very overwhelming. How do you all plan out your trips? What do you buy? What don't you buy? Help! I feel like it could be really useful, but I just need some practice!

Illumination

Baby K's room has no overhead lighting. Now that she's clever and can pull on a floor lamp, I'm in the hunt for a table lamp that sits out of her reach and is relatively attractive. Any thoughts on these?

projects

I feel that I'd be a lot more organized if I had a label maker. It's a round the clock clutter purge around here. I'm getting rid of stuff that I should have thrown away years ago, and starting to look at our place in a whole new light. I'd love to ask you how you all stay organized, and what your secrets are for purging your closets, kitchen and other places of all that clutter!

We had friends over for a big meal of spaghetti, salad and brownies on Saturday - it was great to catch up and enjoy some quality time. With this gloomy economy, and how much fun it is, I'm going to start having people over for dinner more often. This big Juliska platter caught my eye! Can't you just imagine it filled with pot roast or spaghetti and meatballs?

Grey. I am thinking about getting our living room and dining room repainted, and grey is my top color. I'm thinking a very pale, silvery blue grey. Any thoughts?