The Maxwell House

Along with the entire world, I love Robeez. They’re super duper cute and comfy, but I have a hard time with the price tag. Last month I bought Jacob some 6-12 month Robeez with a Gap Baby gift card we had. He’s already close to outgrowing them. No way am I spending $30 on another pair. That’s ridiculous. Actually, I balk at spending any money on something like baby shoes, but here in the middle of winter they’re nice for keeping his socks on his feet. Especially when I’m already exposing a few inches of baby chub to the elements every time I carry him from the car to a building. So, I’m psyched to have found a company called Bugaloo.

Bugaloo offers free shipping when you buy three pairs. Plus, rumor has it there’s a 15% off code available. Anyone interested in ordering together to get some to Wasilla?

If you’re good at sewing and enjoy a new project, you can try out this free pattern here for soft-soled shoes. She’s a Norwegian blogger with lots of cute patterns. I’ve used this pattern for infant slippers and it worked great. You can also find online sites to buy leather (cheaply) if you’re inclined to sew up your own super chic leather baby shoes. I’m inclined, but too intimidated to figure our what needle I’d need, settings for the machine, etc. Maybe next time you come to visit, Mom?

Knitting and reading at the same time is difficult for me. But, I don’t want to give up either. And so, a solution:

Librivox – Free audio books belonging to the public domain. There is a huge list of books here. This site also offers an audio book podcast that sends subscribers one book a week. The only drawback is that the narrative is not “professional” and so you have to like the voice of whoever is reading the book. There’s nothing worse than listening to some dude with a head cold reading an audio book. All in all a good deal for the price 🙂

Listen Alaska – Oodles and oodles of free books and music brought to you buy the Alaska library network. In order to check out a book from Listen Alaska you need to be a member of one of the member libraries. Unfortunately, Wasilla Public Library isn’t on the list. Palmer and UAA are though, so good luck. Also on the list is Kettleson Memorial in Sitka (Mom, can I borrow your card number??). Let me know if you’ve tried this, and how it works out.

A few interesting links from today:

Black Friday Preview

If you’re crazy enough to venture out your house the day after Thanksgiving in search of deals, this site is for you. Previews of black Friday ads will be posted here as they come available. This is a good resource for planning holiday gift shopping.

One dollar diet project

This is blog of two people who ate a month of meals on only $1 a day. One participant lost 5lbs and one lost 13lbs. Their meals consisted mostly of rice, beans, and flour, with occasional canned tomatoes or glasses of Tang.

The Real Difference Between Bankruptcy and Bailout

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich’s blog is on my list of RSS feeds (thanks, Erik!). He has a lot of good ideas and I enjoy his writing. From this entry:

The Treasury seems to have lost sight of its real client. It’s client is not the creditors, shareholders, or executives of any of these firms. Its sole client is the American people

Reich gives his take on the current auto industry trouble and how he feels the government bailout should be packaged.

Thought I’d include a photo of Little Goat. See that impish grin? He’s got visions of yummy trash dancing in his head.

When I was young my mom read me a book about a little goat who ate trash and got a belly ache. I don’t remember the title, hopefully you can remember it mom? Over the last two months our own little goat has been chewing on everything in site. Paper, plastic, plant foliage, you name it. Our firstborn never had this problem, seeming to understand that certain things were not fit for consumption. Jacob, however, is keeping me on my toes in the baby-proofing department. This morning Jimmy and I were eating breakfast, and Jacob was (I thought) playing in the living room. I was drinking my coffee, enjoying the morning paper, and reveling in the moment of quiet. Not hearing Jacob in the living room I went on a search of the house. I found him in the master bathroom, sitting next to the toilet (practically hugging it really), with the toilet brush askew in its holder, and the trash can tipped on its side, contents spilled on the floor. In Jacob’s mouth was a piece of trash (ick!), with another clutched in his hand. Icky icky icky. I’m now enforcing the closed door rule much more rigidly. Little goats need to be kept in their pens 🙂

I was tagged by Sarah for some “about me” info. So skip this and I’ll see you next post, or sit back and prepare to be bombarded:

4 Random Things About Me:

• I used to do competitive jump-roping. Go Sitka Skippers!
• I can neigh like a horse, and horses often answer.
• Sometimes I still feel like I’m just “playing house”. When did I grow up? Have I grown up? Does that happen when I’m 30?
• Sometimes my thoughts are so loud I have to mentally tell myself to shut up 🙂

4 Occupations I’d Love To Do If Talent & Money Were Not Qualifications:

• Professional Student
• Researcher
• Rancher
• Travel Show Host (of course, I’ve never actually done any significant traveling, I’m just assuming that I would like it)

4 Guilty Pleasures:

• America’s Next Top Model
• Cadbury Eggs (my in-laws buy a huge stash for me each Easter and then I try to stretch them out for a few months)
• Christian Romance novels. You know, like “Love Comes Softly”. I’m trying to wean myself off of them.
• Tons and Tons of coffee. I know it’s not good to drink so much, but I love how it warms my belly. I love the feel of a warm cup in my hands. Drinking a piping hot cup of black coffee feels like such a luxury.

4 Things I Am Drawn To Buy Even When I Don’t Need Them:

• Jeans
• Books
• Cloth Diapers or fabric
• Organizers

4 Challenges I Face On A Daily/ Weekly Basis:

• Wanting to do everything
• Wanting to do everything perfectly
• Wanting to do everything perfectly by the time Kevin steps through the door at 5:15pm
• Loving routine, but knowing that I need to break out and be spontaneous now and then

4 Books That Have Helped/Inspired Me This Year:

• Black Belt Patriotism by Chuck Norris (stop laughing)
• I honestly can’t remember anything else. I read a decent amount but I don’t generally retain a lot. I don’t know what that says about me…

4 People I’m Tagging:

• Mel
• Amanda
• Carly
• Someone who can remove the last bullet on the list because I seem to have encountered some sort of crazy glitch in the system. I mean, hey, I’m a smart gal. I’ve taken a few computer courses. I know how to make a list. Bullet, why do you taunt me?
• Hmmmm. Now it’s gone. And, now I just look crazy.