Weekly W: What's your luxury?

Our question from Ms. W. this week relates to Survivor, a show I have never watched. I googled to get the scoop. On the "reality" show Survivor, contestants (actors?) are allowed to bring one luxury item. This cannot be a survival-type item, though. I found the current cast brought items from eyeliner and lipstick to boardgames and coloring books to Bibles and headdresses. My first thought was DIET COKE. That would be more of a survival item for me, though, and it is quickly consumable. A bottle of red wine was a close second but lost out for the same reasons. Wine, bubble baths, and books are my indulgent treat, but none of those would be practical for long-term survival. I'd finish the wine in a night and the book in a week. And where would I find a tub to put the bubble bath? So I decided on a feather-down comforter. It is soft, cozy, and relaxing. It could be used for other uses in a pinch, I suppose. I would bring me comfort and warmth and good sleep.

One of the many reasons I love Austin

We took a bat cruise tonight with the Boatners and the Marshes and enjoyed a perfect night in Austin -- dinner at Threadgills and a beautiful sunset cruise on Town Lake to see the bats who abide under the Congress Bridge. The bridge is home to about 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats who are kind enough to rid Austin of 10,000-20,000 pounds of insects each night. John captured this image. Beautiful!

Toy Rotation Begins

We have begun stage one of toy rotation. I'm sure as the toys change and I get a feel for what I'm doing, our methods will change. For now I have out for Caroline on the toy shelf ten toys at a time -- a puzzle, a music-making toy, a skill toy, a doll, a ball, blocks, a puppet, an interesting toy, a moving toy, and some books. I'll add arts and crafts activities in the next few months. She'll still have other toys stationed throughout the house -- her dollhouse near the kitchen, her animal farm in her bedroom, her slide and some books in the front room, the ball drop and her magical unicorn and books in the office. The doll stroller and a basket of make-believe items (purses, scarves, etc.) will also always be out.

In the purple boxes on the top of the shelf are other versions of the ten toy categories to be swapped out every week or two or monthly. I'm not sure how often we'll make the swap just yet.

Photo Blog Assignment Week Four: What is your favorite piece of furniture?

This table is not an antique, nor does it have any real history. I like the look -- the mix of dark wood and iron is exactly what I wanted for my kitchen table. The sentimental value comes in that it was our first furniture purchase for our current home, and it is the place where my family and I share meals. I like to change up the placemats often, and those have been there too long!

As the child grows, so does the bag!

Before momma-hood, I was a minimalist when it came to purses. My "purse" was a small change purse to hold my cash and credit cards that attached to my keys. It was all I needed. After Caroline was born (and we abandoned a big, bulky backpack) a small shoulder strap was adequate to carry a couple of diapers, wipes, my Hotsling, and a rattle. That's all we needed.

As Caroline grew, the bag did too. I needed room to add a sippy cup, sunscreen and hat, and a toy or two.

Now that Caroline is a toddler, I have a huge bag to carry diapers, snacks, cups, clothes, toys, and whatever else we stick in there!

I've really loved each bag. The pink and black polka dot bag was perfect when I was still in the "It's a girl!" phase. I bought it on ebay. The funky floral earthtone bag was a great Wally World find for $9.99. It has lots of pockets to hold various items and a long strap. The big black toile bag will take us into fall carrying our junk and the kitchen sink (the dollhouse kitchen sink, of course, since it will probably somehow find its way into the bag at some point.) It was a $20 Tuesday Morning score.

I can't imagine moving on to an even bigger bag, though. I think the next stage is a step back in size when Caroline starts carrying her own backpack or purse. She already loves toting around a purse, or anything that *seems* to her like a purse.

Weekly W: Where do you spend most of your day?

Where do you spend most of your day?


This was a tough question for me. As the mother of an active toddler, I'm not in one place for long. My first thought was the bedroom, since I sleep there, it is where I am the most hours of the day. I decided to post about my living room/kitchen instead. It's the central hub of the house. Most of Caroline's play originates in here around her play table. As she roams the house, so do I.