Gym Membership

I have this theory that it is only because Americans are inherently lazy that we need gym memberships.

Seriously, if more people mowed their own lawns (and no, not on riding mowers!!), raked their own leaves, tended their own gardens, cleaned their own gutters, and all the other messy and difficult jobs that go with owning a home, they would not need the membership to a gym to keep them fit!

Admittedly, a lot of people don’t own homes, or they live in a condo with no maintenance. Sure, give them their gyms.

But really, there are people who PAY people to do the hard jobs and then PAY to get a gym membership to work out the very muscles they would have had they done those jobs themselves.

Okay, I am being a bit high on my horse here because I have been working in my yard for a large portion of every day for the last week or so. And I am beat but I feel good!

I may even pull out the old reel lawn mower and give that a go later (because I’m not strong enough to start the gas mower!).

To Anyone Who is About to Have a Baby

I have been meaning for some time to make a list of the things I wish I had not wasted money on and the things I wish I had bought instead (had they been available then!)

So here goes, in no particular order.

Stroller. Had a Maclaren techno for Hannah. Loved that it was small and compact and made for taller people. Hated the tiny wheels that could not make it through grass. Have a Inglesina Zippy for Evie. Love it except that just after I bought it, the research came out the having a stroller that faces the baby toward you is great for bonding and language development. Would have bought the Bumbleride Flyer instead - it looks AWESOME!! It does appear to have slightly smaller wheels than my Zippy but I’d trade that for the turn around function. Eli got to ride in the double stroller since Hannah was still pretty little - we had the Combi side by side twin and loved it although I think there are better doubles out there these days.

Highchair. Wish with all my hear that I had splurged on the Stokke Kinderzeat. Those things are the bomb! they grow with the kid so that their feet are always on the foot rest (stops fidgeting) and they are always at the right height relative to the table. They now come with all sorts of baby attachments too!

Crib. Bought one at a garage sale for $100 and hardly ever used it. Okay I know it is a personal thing, but we let our kids co-sleep. They went to bed in their own bed/crib/pack’n’play and then if they woke up during the night they came into our bed. We sold the crib after Eli and Evie used the pack’n’play. The pack’n’play is big enough for them and the best thing is when you travel, they are not sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Our kids moved to a mattress in the floor at 15 months and did just fine. I would say if you want to save money, buy a nice pack’n’play and save the cash for fixing up a big kid room, which you will be doing before you know what hit you!

Changing table - honestly this is the biggest waste of money. Unless you get one free from someone else who has realized what a waste it was, I would not spend a penny on it. Get a changing pad and a diaper caddy and then you can change wherever which is what happens anyway!

Okay, that is all the time I have for this right now, I’ll add comments as time allows. ;-)