And More
 

Jawohl.

Can we get some more smilies? - Girl shopping question
 

Heh. I guess it is not too outable to simply say "the bastards outbid me!" It is darling.

I have some other options lined up - thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, eBay is like crack cocaine.

Can we get some more smilies? - Girl shopping question
 

Glad to hear it :)

(eBay stockholder)

E-bay Search tips
 

They probably have this spelled out somewhere, but I just figured it out by trial and error, so I thought I would share my deeeeep thoooooooughts on search tips:

If you put things in parentheses separated by commas, that means "any of these things" (I usually put the laundry list of brands I am interested in this way).

If you put a little "-" sign in front of a word, it means "not this word" (a brand of cosmetics I search for somehow inexplicably also results in a lot of "hits" for adult diapers -- so I have to put in -incontinence in that particular search).

Words not in parentheses means "all these words".

Also, if you find something you like, look at its category at the top of the item's page, then click on the category and repeat your search, and it will cull out all the random things you don't intend to look for.

And don't forget -- use (new, nwt, bnwt, bnib) if you want only new stuff.

Face it, I'm Addicted to E-Bay
 

I assume everyone here has figured out that ebay is a great source for kids books.

We like to bid on lots of 40 or 50 books at a time. One or two mad evenings on the computer and you have a library of a few hundred books for the young 'uns.

Face it, I'm Addicted to E-Bay
 

Is it better than Scholastic? My spouse is a teacher and gets deals like 100 books for $1 (or some such nomial amount, maybe $5) that she buys to use in her class (though they have all since grown legs; the books that is, as far as I know the students already had legs).

From my own experience E-bay is nothing more than a den of thieves best avoided. The comparison to crack cocaine is apt, as I fell like I'm walking down a dark alley every time I browse there.

Activity center
 

Oh, genius - thank you!!

An aside - one of the grandmas sent an "activity center" - one of those (non-rolling) things that you stick the kid in the middle of and let him play with the stuff surrounding his swivel seat - which arrived last night.

Trepidation Baby is apparently already about to outgrow it - the legs are at the highest setting. He's a pretty big kid, but he's hardly gargantuan for 6 months, so I'm not sure if this is weird or not. Also, TB seems unenthusiastic about it. He thinks the bright thingies around the seat are cool for about 2 minutes, and then he is annoyed that he can't crawl around as he is accustomed to do and hollers to be removed so he can yank on the fringe on the rug and tear up the newspaper.

Is it just that 6 months is a little late to be starting with an activity center? Or will it just take a little while for him to figure out how to play with it?

Trepidation mom - who's not entirely thrilled that her living room has finally been invaded by a big, brightly colored noisy plastic thingy.

Activity center
 

My eldest boy LOVED his "activity center" (which we, his parents, referred to as his "office"). He would stay in that thing for an awfully long time. His preferred one (he actually had two -- don't ask...) was the kind that had a flat, hard-plastic disc, in the center of which was a cylinder, around which the "palatte" (don't know how else to describe it) where he would sit rotated. That way, he could walk around a little, but only in a small circle (the disc). He liked standing up. Maybe it helped with walking -- he walked at 9 months -- but probably not. His father walked early too, which (I hear) is the key predictive factor for when a youngster will start ambulating (i.e., when your parents started walking).

Anyway, I can't remember how old he was when he stopped using it, but it was definitely over six months.

By the time other kid arrivals occurred, we had lost some of the pieces of the seat, and the other kids didn't seem overly interested in the office anyway. (How could you expect anything less? They are, after all, chips off the old blockette).

Activity center
 

We found that 4 months was the perfect time to start with the SuperSaucer. I think he was done with it by about 8 months. It was great for giving us uninterrupted mealtimes. If your guy's been crawling around exploring already, he might find it confining.

tm

Face it, I'm Addicted to E-Bay
 

Teachers get great deals, but there are many books in the big wide world other than scholastic.

I've had great results on ebay - yes, one out of every ten or so purchases can be mis-described or oversold, but most are just what they're sold as and in fine shape. Of course, buying used books is one thing, and I wouldn't go buying used underwear on ebay ...

(psst, try it, you'll like it...)

Activity center
 

I thought the proper name for that thing was the "neglect-o-matic"? Or "that thing that lets Mommy go and take a pee". I loved that thing. Vietbabe used her's for so long she was able to climb in and out of it. I used to stick her in it while showering. I'd wedge it into the doorframe of the bathroom and suds away. Prior to the neglect-o-matic, I'd have to shower while she napped but that was a downer because: (1) I lost 15 minutes of my own nap time; and (2) I'd always think I'd hear sounds of her waking and crying so could never really enjoy the shower.

Activity center
 

Ditto this. The Lexling used his from about 4.5mos to maybe 6-6.5mos, but after that, he didn't really enjoy it anymore. It was worth having it for just a few months, though since he really enjoyed the change of scenery. It was free, too, which helped.

Activity center
 

We've done two kids without a Saucer. At birth they are carried and slinged everywhere. At one month, they can go into a bouncy seat, which takes up far less space than the Saucer. At two months, it's the battery powered swing. At 5.5 months, they go into the Johnny Jump-Up, and there they remain until they can crawl, and then we are well and truly fucked because they've got legs like Bo Jackson from all the jumping.

Caveat: my godson was Saucerized and he's slightly smarter than my unsaucered ones. I attribute this to his two Ivy-to-Ph.D. parents rather than to the plastic rings and balls he looked at for two months of his life. If my wife had married better my kids would have fighting chance, but no.

Activity center
 

You must be a nurture fan. If your wife had married better, you'd be fucking her anyway, eh?

Activity center
 

We had both saucer and swing, and the periods of use didn't overlap that much. The saucer didn't start until 4 months and was done by 9; the swing started very early and was done by 5 when he started grabbing the bars to stop himself. We also used them for different things: the saucer for keeping him occupied during cooking/meals, the swing for when he just would not go to sleep and stay that way (I think I have confessed to this group before that we actually left him in it all night once or twice when we were truly desperate).

Well, the saucer certainly doesn't seem to have hindered Magnus's intellectual development any. I must say that his particular personality (long attention span, good at entertaining himself) made the saucer work particularly well for us, and all kids are different. If you're thinking of buying one, see if you can try one out first, either at a store or at a friend's. We tried Magnus in a friend's at four months while visiting family for Christmas, and he loved it so much we purchased one immediately upon our return home.

Because of the brief period of use, saucers are perfect things to get at resale or from friends. The seats are usually removable and washable, and the toy parts often are too.

tm

Activity center
 

Was the swing on high power? (I think someone on here called it "the puree setting"). That's too funny. Vietbabe hated that electronic swing. My sister's second loved to sleep in the "bucket" that goes into the infant car seat. She'd carry the bucket into the nursery and leave her strapped in it and she'd sleep in it all night. My grandmother would FREAK when she saw my Sister do that but it worked. I tried that once for a nap (brought the bucket into the nursery and left her in it for her nap) and she woke up all sweaty and really pissed. The only really bad idea I had was once when I decided Vietbabe was too tired for her swim class and turned around and took her home and put her in for a nap, still wearing her "swimmy diaper." Bad move. Those things don't "breathe" and after a 3 hour nap she had a diaper rash that bled. I felt like the worst parent ever.

By the way, Vietbabe has had a few doozy tantrums of late and twice now I have been unable to strap her into the car seat at all (those kids will not bend no matter how much you want them to). She just locked her legs and that was it. An hour later, we're still sitting in the car in the hardware store parking lot, with me trying to get her into the car seat. And she's only 21 lbs. What the heck do you do in those situations????

Activity center
 

Two options:

1) Loosen the straps to the end, and try to get them on her at that point. She may calm down once she's "in." enough for you to cinch the straps back down. It may also be easier if you take off her jacket.

2) Take a short walk, letting/making her walk. Just up and down the parking lot row, for example. This seems to work well with the baltspawn.

I would try option 1 first, because if you can get her in the car, she's less likely to try it again (since it didn't work). We've also found lately that the kids are more likely to get in without a fight if they get themselves in (climb up the seat from the footwell and climb in the seat).

If neither if these options work, you just have to outlast her. Good luck.

Activity center
 

If you slip her a xanax berfore going out, she'll be much more docile. Slip yourself one, and you won't care as much how she behaves.

Activity center
 

We've had the same issue with Secret_Agent_Girl for several weeks now. Sometimes she just hates to get into the car seat, because she either: (a) wants to just sit on the back seat, or (b) wants to get in front and drive.

My daughter is about 30 pounds of sinew -- darn near six-pack abs -- and its tough to deal with the car seat issue because you have to get them in but don't want to hurt them. I've found that tickling the stomach will cause the legs to unlock. (Variant 2.0 -- the "Tummy-Meat Monster" appears). I can generally hold her in the seat once her butt hits the bottom, but if you can't do that yourself with one hand (while the other works the straps), I don't have a good solution other than continued wrestling. (My wife's technique.)

Does Vietbabe use a pacifier in the car? If so, you can either give it to her to calm her down (which I'm sure you've thought of) -- or, (as we do) barter for cooperation by promising the pacifier and stuffed animal right as soon as she's buckled in.

S_A_M

Activity center
 

Agreed.

Babydaddy fashion question
 

Any idea where to get cool matching daddy-baby outfits? (which is of course very different from matching babydaddy outfits).

I am thinking that might be a nice holiday gift for my hard-to-shop-for babydaddy. No clue re gender. (Gender of impending baby, that is; I'm fairly clear on daddy's gender, but after all we do live in SF so one never knows (do one). And no, he's not the leather-wearing kind of daddy - not so far, at least).

Thanks in advance.

Babydaddy fashion question
 

nfl.com. just pick a team. it's so easy!

Babydaddy fashion question
 

Shoot - that's a great idea, except we are not a football household; actually, neither of us cares a whit about professional sports. (Too early to tell on the kid, but moot since s/he won't be able to work the remote for a while yet.)

Babydaddy fashion question
 

Use of "shoot," "whit" and "moot" all in one three-line post makes the "not giving a crap about football" preeeeeety obvious.

I don't like sports either. I'm just saying.

Babydaddy fashion question
 

a) Speaking as a baby's daddy (though of course, not your baby's daddy), this idea sucks.

b) If, nonetheless, you wish to persist in you quest to find matching clothing for man and child:

http://www.hannaanderson.com (check the "Family" link)
http://www.landsend.com (check the sweaters)
http://www.ctshirts.co.uk/usddefault (much of the "kids" stuff has adult counterparts)

Babydaddy fashion question
 

(emphasis mine) I was dressed in Maroon and White before I could walk. It had no impact on my decision where to go to school, but I think my dad was sort of proud to have an Aggie kid for a few months. I dont' think I wore much Aggie gear after I got to be old enough to pick my own clothes.

Babydaddy fashion question
 

Yeah, I'm probably doomed. He is a bitch to shop for, though, so I thought I'd try to be creative. Oh well. Maybe porn instead (in which case I'll take the discussion to the FB, and no, it will not involve the kid at all whatsoever).

Thanks for the links.

Babydaddy fashion question
 

well, at least you will spare the child of the embarrassment of being dressed in 49ers gear.

Babydaddy fashion question
 

Try babywit.com. I have gotten my husband and the bairn matching Sex Pistols and Motorhead T-shirts (and matching "Can't Sleep Clowns Will Eat Me" T-shirts from cafepress). They both seemed reasonably impressed. babywit may not carry the adult sizes, but I didn't have trouble finding some of the patterns in adult sizes elsewhere.

Babydaddy fashion question
 

I sooooooo need one of these. Got a link?

Babydaddy fashion question
 

Have you been to http://www.ihateclowns.com/ncstore/?

Babydaddy fashion question
 

Oh, come now. I have a little boy who loves to dress like me. We regularly both put on the jeans and flannel lumberjack outfit.

Of course, he also likes to dress like his older sisters, but that's a different story.

So I get to pre-school to pick up the (Not So) Tiny Slothrop yesterday, and he and the rest of the kids whose parents don't love them as much as the parents of the kids who got their earlier at at a couple of tables, playing with something like silly putty, only it's stickier. Which is fine, and not really the point. The point is, the teachers are just blasting an Alvin & the Chipmunks Xmas record, apparently as background noise (emphasis on the noise part).

What's up with that? Is this a psy ops technique that they've picked up from the military? I thought it was bizarre, but didn't say anything to the teachers, partly because I wasn't sure that I could yell loud enough.

Alvin
 

It's a passive aggressive thing. The parents who pick the kids up earlier (the ones who love their kids more) set a subconscious outside bar to "end of day" in the minds of the teachers. Anyone who comes in after the time the majority of kiddies go are "late." The teachers' day is done and the music gets blasted so they don't have to listen to the kids during "overtime."

At least that's my take on it. My daycare center is open until 6:30 pm. But show up at 6:29.59 and you get handed a thirsty kid whose diaper hasn't been changed since 5 pm by the last remaining employee, who is shutting the lights off behind you as the door hits you in the ass on your way out. The process breaks down after 5 pm. Kids of all different classrooms left there by mean parents after 5 pm get combined into little groups of other unloved kids until there is just one, small group of the least loved kids, of which mine is always a part. At 6:00 pm, this group participates in what I call the "Walk of Shame". Classrooms are closed and the leftover ragtags are made to march in single file up to the front foyer of the center, where they wait for their neglectful parents to arrive.

None of this bothers me in the slightest because the kids don't care a whit. They get to run wild in the halls and rearrange the hall furniture. It's the best part of the day for them. Anarchy rules. The Walk of Shame kids are the coolest kids there.

Okay, so what was the question again?

Alvin
 

Isn't it possible the music is turned up because Ty's kid keeps talking to the staff about their breasts?

Question for you (us Catholics)
 

Probably the wrong board. What level of religious involvement does a Catholic High School have? Let's say one's child was born Catholic but never formally baptised or confirmed because of religious indiference. Would a Catholic high school (which the kid wants to attend for other reasons -- athletics -- be inappropriate?

I anticipate that the answer is no but am really clueless.


Just curious.

Question for you (us Catholics)
 

I don't really have first hand knowledge, but I think it would depend highly on the school, which in turn probably depends on the density of non-Catholic private schools in the area.

I had a friend in college who was jewish who went to a Catholic high school and said it was never an issue - hardly noticable except for the crucifix in every room. But there are definitely schools at the other end of the spectrum. It seems to be the same as with colleges, i.e. Georgetown vs. Catholic University of America.

My guess is that a school that is likely to recruit for athletics probably doesn't push the religion too much.

ETA: Just to clarify my first statement: the lower the density of alternatives, the more likely a school is to serve a broad base, until you get to a point where there is enough density that some schools will play to conservative Catholics and some to liberals.

Question for you (us Catholics)
 

If your kid was born Catholic, I would be a bit more wary than if he wasn't. The Management might deem him stray property rather than treating him tolerantly as they would a heathen non-Catholic jew or protestant. The Church can be rather proprietarial with regard to those it considers lapsed. Probably depends a lot on the school - if there is significant nun/priest presence, it might be more of an issue.

Then again, high school might be old enough for your kid to hold his own against any attempted indoctrination, particularly if he has strong opinions of his own on the matter.

Flannel crib sheets
 

Anyone know an online place to buy flannel sheets for a crib?

Flannel crib sheets
 

The Company Store

Solid and gingham flannel fitted sheets for cribs (and other kids beds).