Category: Stuff We Love

Babies make for such messy eaters, don’t they? Food on the face, in the lap, smashed in the hair, covering sleeves, thrown across the table… all over the place.

Well, I have a tip that will make meal cleanup so much easier.

My secret is using these long sleeved bibs that my friend Dorothee sells in her children’s shop Sofee and Lenee, featuring kinder accessories that she imports directly from her home country of Germany.

I think these particular bibs are ingenious!

(The baby likes them too, despite his serious appearance. Eating takes major concentration!)

The bibs are long, so they extend over the baby’s entire front. No more food in his lap!

The bibs also fully cover the baby’s arms and entire front/shoulder area. No more food splattered across his clothes and covering his arms!

Plus they are lined so food doesn’t soak through, and they’re quick and easy to wash.

Now after meals I just need to wipe his face and hands, and we’re good to go!

(Cause when babies finish eating, they’re done RIGHT THIS MINUTE, “get me out of here, mama!”)

Visit Sofee and Lenee to learn more. I own not one, but three of these bibs. One for every meal of the day!

Hmmm, maybe I should buy a couple more… ;)

I am one of those people who love those “peaks in your pursue” type of posts.*

What can I say? I’m fascinated by what people carry around with them. We all have different things that we love or consider essential or, um, horde.

Which reminds me, I tossed all used tissues and dirty diapers before writing this post. (You’re welcome.)

We recently switched diaper bags. My sister originally bought us the Skip Hop Versa Diaper Bag, Black, but almost immediately the plastic zipper broke. What a bummer!

I contacted Skip Hop and they were awesome about it. They immediately issued me a gift card for the bags full retail price (which was more than she had originally paid since we bought it on sale) to use towards whatever bag I wanted on their site.

Enter the Grand Central.

It’s larger, yet less awkward and much easier to carry on my shoulder than the other bag.

And it holds so much more.

Before we could just barely fit this much into the Versa Diaper Bag:

Now I’m carting around this much stuff in the Grand Central with space for even more:

We easily fit:
a changing pad, change of clothes, sun hat, too many socks, fleece booties, wipes, cloth and disposable diapers, blanket, teething bracelet, sunscreen (for the girls, not the baby), mama’s purse (with wallet, cell phone, and keys), camera, gum (again, for the girls), deck of cards, stuffed animal lion and cat rattle.

Not pictured but usually in there:
Baby K’tan carrier, mama’s water bottle, silicone teether, baby jacket, wet bag.

(In writing this I realized we don’t even own typical diaper bag “essentials” like bottles or pacifiers.)

Do I really need all of the items pictured above? Probably not, but such is life. We can’t help but carry around extra baggage, whether we mean to or not.

* (Have you seen this series of diptychs? Love them.)

I haven’t worn a watch in over a decade. With my cell phone always within arms reach and clocks in every room, my watch became redundant.

Recently, however, I’ve needed to know the time without wanting to keep my phone with me at all times, especially in the morning when I’m struggling to get out the door with the kids.

It started when we noticed a dramatic difference in our daughter’s behavior when we stopped keeping our cell phones near us. Conversations were no longer interrupted by beeps or blinking lights. We became more present, with our focus on the people right in front of us. (What could be more important than that?)

When I reach for my phone to check the time, I invariably get distracted. I read an email. I respond to a status update on Facebook. I text a friend back. Those actions only take moments, but they add up. And they take time away from my children.

Instead of getting back to people throughout the day, I can write back everyone at once when the kids are asleep (or occasionally during the day when our daughter is off reading or playing while I breastfeed the baby). When the kids aren’t around, I’m less distracted too; my responses take less time.

And so I found myself wanting to wear a watch again.

For months (okay, maybe closer to a year) I have been lusting over these extravagant Kate Spade goodies:

I simply cannot justify the price, especially since we really can’t afford them right now and I’m on a shopping diet.

And so I bought this affordable beauty instead:

(My favorite part is the pink second hand.)

It’s more casual, lighter, and water-resistant than those fancy watches. I won’t have to worry about scratching it. I can wear it all day, every day. In wearing a watch, I will be more present with my kids and get the whole family out the door on time. (Ha!)

Well, we’ll see about that last bit. After all, it’s not a magic watch. I don’t think.