Fugalista: Thrill of the hunt!

Yesterday was opening day for Just Between Friends Tulsa Spring Sale. I've been to four JBF events since November 2009 (two months before Libby's birth) and have always scored awesome deals. Like our gently used Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper for half-off of retail. Or her cute rolling/rocking pony for $10.00. She LOVES that thing! And I've always gone on the final day and snapped up all of the 50% deals, especially on clothing, where I have gotten full outfits for $1.00-3.00/each.

That said, I've never been on opening day with the general public. I did go the first time during the "new moms" time that is opened ahead of the general public. So, yesterday was quite the experience. It was PACKED! And frenetic. There were people pushing strollers full of items while they slung crying babies and toddlers on their hips. There were hugely pregnant women dragging laundry baskets overflowing with baby gear. The check-out line took 1.5 hours!

Armed with $100 bill and my list, I set out on my hunt. I am a major bugetzilla and frugalista. I love bargain shopping and think consignment is the way to go when you're a mom trying to keep up with a growing child! 95% of Libby's things are gently-used. Buying second-hand items are good for mama's wallet and good for mother earth too. I cannot imagine trying to fully outfit the nursery and layette and all of the things we've used in the 13 months of Libby's life if I had to pay full retail price!

I started with the toys and books. I snapped up this classic Fisher-Price Corn Popper Push Toy for $5.

And this awesome set of small, chunky board book ABC blocks for another five bucks. I had wanted to get this for her birthday, but hadn't gotten around to ordering it off of Amazon.

I got a slew of other books too. Libby's favorite things right now are books. She adores them. And we read through the ones she has over-and-over again, several hours a day. She has many of them memorized. She really likes the ones that have photos rather than illustrations and those are hard to find. So I snapped up three of those, including one with a built-in mirror that she can see herself in while she's looking at the pages. I also got two fabric, "quiet" books. One is peek-a-boo with fabric flaps that she can lift to find the characters. The other is a Taggie book, that is great for her to have in her crib.

Next up was clothing and shoes. Libby is wearing a 24 months/2T and her growth has dramatically slowed down since August. For the first half of her life she went up in size in her clothing about every 6-8 weeks! So by summer she was in a size 18 months! In December we moved her up to size 24 months/2 T. Carter's outfits tend to fit her really well and for quite a while, so I bought several cotton knit one-piece rompers and dresses with bloomers. The other thing I appreciate about Carter's is that their styling for babies and toddlers is age-appropriate. I find that many of the other affordable children's clothing lines (where brand-new outfits are $25 or less) are like scaled-down, mini-tween and teen designs. It's sad, really. Libby wears cloth diapers and is on the chunkier side, so she needs things that are roomy and stretchy. And even if she could fit in slimmer designs, I just don't get why babies and toddlers need skinny or boot-cut jeans and tops that look like mirco-versions of things that 18-year-olds wear.

Maybe it's because I am an "older" first-time mom and other moms are closer to being in their teen years than not, especially around here, but I just don't think it's cute at all to let littles dress like they're older. Even my tween niece wants to wear things that I would have worn when I was 16 or 17 years old! I feel like such a fuddy-duddy. I am not prude at all, but what's wrong with little girls looking like little girls? Even the shorts and things that are out now are super short! Like with a 2-inch inseam. And why do toddler's clothes not have fully-elasticized waists. I cannot find one pair of woven or denim bottoms that are full elasticized. So we're sticking with comfy, cotton knits. To each her own, but I think moms who let their little dress like they're older are going to be in a world of hurt once the kids are actually teens. I mean, if she's allowed to wear a bikini bathing suit at age 5 why not at 15? Daisy dukes are cute when you're 3 so why not at 13? I'm just not going to go there. If Libby is anything like her mama, she will develop early. And she won't need any help in the looking-older-than-her-age department.

*stepping off my soap-box*

To round out the spree, I got a darling pair of multi-colored sandals. Libby is really into shoes right now after she played with the corn popper push toy and looked at all her books she just had to try on the sandals! This morning, she wanted to put them on over her footed pajamas. Too cute! So it was $97.12 well-spent. Usually, I got back to JBF on the closing Saturday to get the 50% deals. But I don't think I will this time...even yesterday, her size-range was pretty picked over...probably all of the "early-bird" shoppers (those who volunteer, etc. get first dibs) and I am not interested in getting items that I feel are not really age-appropriate styling. That said, I think she'll be pretty well covered for this Spring and Summer, although I'd still like to find a swim suit. It's so nice to feel confident in her sizing...this time last year I had purchased 6-9 and 9-12 month clothing thinking it would last her through the summer and I was so wrong!

Purchases for Lil' Missy!

This frugalista mama loves a good bargain! And boy have I gotten a handful today! First up are these two items I bought from Zulily today:

By Best Friend by Little Adventure

Orange & Fuchsia Flower Power Flip Skirt Set - Toddler & Girls

Includes tee, pants and reversible tutu

 

 

Hardcover picture book / 25 pages

Written by Andrea Alban Gosline

Illustrated by Lisa Burnette Bossi

Publisher: Scholastic Press



Next up is a crib set I've had bookmarked since before Libby was born:

Simply Shabby Chic Candy Patchwork Crib Bedding

I know it seems odd to be purchasing a crib set now that she's one year old, but she's only been consistently sleeping in her crib for the past three weeks. Until now, the crib has basically been a safe place for her to play for a few minutes while we used the restroom or got the laundry out of the dryer. She had napped in it maybe a half dozen times or so. We bedshared from the time she was about 10 days old until just shy of one year. It worked beautifully until a few weeks ago when none of us were sleeping well. She'd toss and turn and thrash all night and we each took turns leaving the bed and rocking her for hours on end until she'd fall asleep. Then we'd try to lay her back down into the bed with us and she's awaken immediately. It was quite miserable. Finally, on Monday, January 10 I resolved myself to launch "operation sleep-in-your-crib." We basically resorted to CIO because all of the other more gentler tactics just aggrevated Libby and made her more upset. I've spent months reading all of the sleep books, from Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution to Tracy Hogg's The Baby Whisperer; Dr. Sears and Dr. Jay Gordon and Ferber and Weissbluth.

I am not going to lie, the first night was hard. On me. Libby screamed and cried for about 30 minutes and then wound down to a fussy wimper. I had told J that we'd let it go one hour and reassess this approach. It was a killer. I cried in our room (we share a wall with hers) as I listened to her cry. We've never really let her cry, other than when we've been in the car and had no opportunity to stop. So to hear her wailing for an hour was rough. Around the one hour mark she had settled down considerably but was still wimpering. We decided to give it 10 more minutes. And wonder of wonders, she fell asleep! She slept in her crib two hours before waking, at which point I brought her into bed with us. I was emotionally exhausted. We got a great night's sleep though. The next day I felt awful and totally second-guessed my decision to transition her to her own bed/room and to do it by using CIO. But when I saw her that afternoon when I came home from lunch she was a smiling, happy, well-rested baby.

The next night we did the same thing and she fussed for 30-minutes before falling asleep. She slept for five hours before waking, at which point I brought her to our bed. The third night was similar. The fourth night she was out in 15 minutes and when she woke in the night I went to her room, nursed her and she went back to sleep in her crib. Same thing again on the fifth night. Night six she was out in five minutes and stayed in her bed all night and it's basically been that way ever since.

I never imagined I'd ever use CIO, but Libby needed it. And so did we. And I feel good about waiting until she was nearly a year old and can understand what we say. We talked about her sleeping in her own bed and she now brings us her favorite blanket and says, "nigh-night" and we nurse and rock and then I put her in her crib drowsy, but awake. Sometimes she fusses for a few minutes and sometimes not. Sometimes she babbles to herself for a few minutes and then goes to sleep.

Anyway, in honor of this transition, I decided it was time to officially outfit her crib with proper bedding. She's old enough now to use the quilt and we put a set of plain bumpers I got as a hand-me-down in there this summer when she was flopping over and bumping her head all the time when she was in there. I have a collection of random, gently-used crib sheets. So I am excited to get this set. It will be there when she's ready for us to convert the bed to a toddler and then youth bed. And it matches the quilt I've got on her daybed.

And finally, I scored this awesome wooden toddler-sized table and chairs for $40.00 off Craigslist:

Kid Kraft Table and Chairs in Natural

There were some random crayon and marker sribbles on the table top and one of the chairs, but some elbow grease and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser cleaned it right up! Libby was SO excited to see it! She loves it!

New Stuff

I have totally been slacking on updating the blog.  Work has been insanely busy and we had about a week of Libby not wanting to sleep.  I think due to teething (again) and developmental strides.  Thankfully, the last few nights she's settled back into a routine of going down for the night without a problem.  I swear, I thought we might kill the blow dryer and break the rocking chair last week!

Libby's high chair arrived last week and it was a snap to put together.  It's a Keekaroo Height Right Chair.  We got it with the tray and cushion set:

The only thing "wrong" with it is that the warning label and logo were upside down on the parts.  Perhaps that's why I got such a deal on it from Overstock.com.  We paid less than $200 for it...similarly designed Svans and Tripp Trapps go for much more than that, so I am glad we found this deal.  We definitely needed to get something that she won't outgrow since she is tending to be WAY off the charts in height and weight for her age.  We just moved her into size 18-24 month clothing this week and she'll only be 6 months old come Sunday.

She loves sitting in her chair and started joining us for meal times.  She's tasted a few things but has yet to really eat any food.  That's okay with us and definitely part of baby-led solids anyway.  Thankfully she's still nursing like a champ and my milk supply is as strong as ever (despite taking a hit last month due to stress).

We also got rid of her adorably cute but oh so impractical Bebe Lace Green rug.  I love the design of it but it's impossible to keep clean even though we are shoe-free household and I vacuum it religiously. It seems to just attract dust like a magnet!  After three months of use it was looking really shabby and not in a chic way. It wasn't cheap either and I am frustrated that a rug specifically designed and sold for children's rooms is so difficult.  So, it's off to the cleaners to see if they can do anything for it and in its place are these awesome foam tiled squares.  We got them in pink and white (one set of each color) for $49 from GetRung.com.  They shipped quickly and were so easy to lay out and snap together.  I put them in a checkerboard pattern (trying to echo the patchwork quilt on the daybed) and although they're not as "shabby chic" as my adorable yet filthy area rug, they are super cute and better still, super functional.  Libby loved them immediately...she felt the texture of them for a good 20 minutes.  And when she topples over she doesn't cry because they absorb the fall (unlike said chi-chi area rug, even with a pad)!

We are also preparing to take our first plane ride with Miss Libby and have decided to lug our Graco32 and Snap 'n' Go along for the trip.  I wasn't comfortable renting a car seat and bringing our own seems to be the best solution.  That said, she HATES being in it on the Snap 'n' Go because she'd rather sit up when she's strolling (we usually take her for walks in a second-hand Schwinn Jog Stroller that I got for $30), but we're bringing it anyway to navigate the airports on our travel days.  We also got a J.L. Childress Ultimate Carseat Travel Bag to protect the car seat since they can get pretty beat up even when they are gate checked. 

And I finally got an Ergo!  We went with the Ergo Sport in black since it's supposedly a better fit for larger/taller parents and cooler fabric for the baby.  I tried it the other day and the jury is still out on whether or not I like it.  Libby seems sort of squished in it, at least when she is in front.  I have yet to try a back carry with it.  I have 30 days to return it and well, I am just not sure about it.  I think I prefer wraps.  I really, really want a Storchenwiege (Anna) or Vatanai (Koira) but they are pricey, especially because I want to get the longest size.  So, maybe in the Fall I will have the funds to get a woven wrap.  Libby seems to like being wrapped as well and I love that there are so many versatile carries that can be done with a wrap.  Wovens are supposed to be very supportive which is essential since she's over 20 lbs. now.  I wish there were a babywearing group or MeetUp here in Tulsa so I could meet other parents who wear their babies and also see/try out different wraps and carriers.  I might just have to start one up...I see moms from time to time out and about with their little ones in ring slings or mei teis, so I know I am not the only one in town!

Insert eye-roll here

So in the brief four months we’ve been parents, apparently we’ve made a slew of choices that are less-than-conventional. I guess. I mean, in the online parenting forums I frequent, they seem quite “normal” but I guess in every-day-life they may not be. Hmm. I suspect there’s been a lot of eye-rolling from the every-day people in our lives.

First off was the decision to cloth diaper. People came out of the woodwork to tell us we were nuts. That surely, we’d regret it and find ourselves bleary-eyed in a big-box-brand-name-store at 3 a.m. desperately purchasing disposable diapers within a week of bringing our baby home. “You’ll see…” I heard time and again. Well…here were are…four-plus months later and loving the decision we've made to cloth diaper. It’s super convenient and totally budget-friendly. Not to mention that we’re always just one laundry load away from a new supply of diapers for our little one. It is also better for her health and for the health of our planet.

Second was the fact that my exclusively breast-fed baby refuses to take a pacifier or a bottle. I am fine with her not wanting a paci…but others have an issue with it. She’s keen to suck her thumb instead (although has not fully worked that out just yet) and somehow that’s a bad thing. I dunno. If it helps her to self-soothe, I am all for it. It’s right there, whenever she needs or wants it. And for the record, I sucked my thumb and didn’t go off to college still doing it. Sure, I needed orthodontics, but it wasn’t because of the thumb-sucking. It was due to genetics.

And although we introduced the bottle at the “right time” of four weeks and she initially took it, eventually she decided she wanted nothing to do with it. At first I thought it was because I produce excess lipase and discovered that my stored, pumped breast milk had an “off” taste. But even once we worked that out (via scalding all pumped milk as recommended by Kelly Mom and LLLI) she still refused to take the bottle. And we tried them all. Including this fancy-schmancy one that actually looks and supposedly feels a lot like a breast. So, with the impending date of my return to full-time work looming, we got creative and tried feeding her expressed breast milk from a cup. Well, really the top of one of the many bottles she’d refused. And you know what? It worked! So since she was eight weeks old she gets her “cup milk” from daddy or grandma while I am at work. People still don’t believe she can drink from a cup. Others ask why we don’t just make her drink from a bottle. (As if I could make her?! They suggest, “if you don’t offer her anything by the bottle, eventually she’ll HAVE to take it!”). Why on earth would I do that when she’s already drinking from a cup? People need to learn to drink from a cup. They don’t need to know how to use a bottle. So, she’s just ahead of the game.

Here's a video of J cup feeding Libby when she was 10 weeks old:






Speaking of being ahead, that leads me to our latest “unconventional” choice to use infant pottying in our household. Also known as Elimination Communication or Diaper-free Babies, it basically is learning to read your babies cues to know when they need to potty. And once you notice them, you begin to potty them over the toilet or sink or receptacle of your choosing rather than let them go in their diaper. Sounds pretty down-to-earth to me. After all, people need to use the potty anyway, right? So, very casually, we’ve begun to observe when Libby needs to pee or poop. It’s become fairly easy to pinpoint, especially her pooping schedule, which is just once a day now and usually in the early evenings after feeding. Pee has been a little trickier to catch, but again, she usually lets us know immediately when she’s wet and we’ve been able to figure out her signals just before then, namely squirming and vocalization. So we’ve been able to get her to tinkle on the potty (our household toilet is now outfitted with a kiddie potty seat that I picked up for $3) by offering her “pottytunities” before and after her naps, after feeding, before baths, etc. We cue her with “pssss” and sure enough, she pees in the potty. It’s so cute!

She loves it because she’s not in a wet diaper. And we love it because it means less diaper changes (and laundry) for us. Especially the poopie ones. I’ve only changed one poopie diaper in the past 5 days (and that’s because she surprised me with a early-afternoon poop). We have no intention of having her be diaper-free (she’s still in her cloth diapers) save for the 15-20 minutes of “naked time” she has each day. Nor are we pushing her to “potty train” anytime soon. It’s more about teaching her that she has options when it comes to her personal hygiene. Knowing her, once she really figures out that she doesn’t have to be in a wet or dirty diaper I suspect she will be wanting to use the potty more often than not. She smiles every time we sit her there. And she loves that it’s faster and cleaner than getting a diaper change.

That said, we’ve already gotten the side-eye about it. And of course the lecture that it’s “too soon.” Yes, if we were potty training her, it would be WAY too soon. But what we’re doing is potty learning and offering her options, which is perfectly fine. In many cultures they don’t even use diapers on infants because they practice this method of infant pottying. And it’s not like she’s being scolded if she goes in her diaper (which is an old-school tactic used by parents in potty training). Oh well…I guess to many people teaching your baby to use the toilet is weird. To us, it’s pretty much a no-brainer. It’s a skill she’ll use for life so why not start now? I did have to laugh though when we were asked, “well how does she get to the bathroom?” Um, the same way she gets everywhere else right now. We carry her. Duh.

Finally, I am sure that more eyes will roll in a couple of months when we begin introducing solids to our daughter. We’ve already been asked more than once why she’s not already eating rice cereal. We’ve had to let people know that we’re going with the AAP’s recommendation to wait until she’s six months old before introducing solids. (Oh and I’ve also been asked why I plan to breastfeed beyond six months since she’ll be eating solids by then and will most likely have teeth. I cannot believe how clueless people are about breastfeeding. You should have seen the reaction when I said I have no intentions of weaning at twelve months, let alone six. Oy vay.)

We plan to let Libby self-feed solids (also known as BLW or Baby-led Weaning) when she shows signs of readiness. Most likely that’ll be later this summer. I am sure people will ask why on earth she’s not being spoon-fed jarred baby food or even purees we make ourselves. I am sure they’ll question the risk of her choking. I am already scheduled to take an Infant CPR class later this month so at least I can let them know that if on the remote chance she did choke, we’d know what to do. But I am sure they’ll still roll their eyes. Oh well, I guess that’s okay. It certainly won’t be the first time.

What it means to be sorta crunchy

The older I get the more I am realizing that I am more crunchy than not.  I mean, compared to many of my fellow San Francisicans I guess I might be slightly crispy, but here, in Tulsa, I am definitely considered more granola.  Here's a fun little quiz to see where you might score on the spectrum.  I scored 108.  That puts me in the "Mmm!  Love that whole grain crunch!" category.

Here's what makes me a sorta-crunchy mama:

1) Exclusively breastfeeding for the first 6 months and then introducing solids around 6 months using "baby-led weaning."  Will plan to breastfeed at least until 12 months and probably beyond.
2) Bed-sharing for now and will transition to co-sleeping soon (she'll stay in our room, but not in our bed)
3) We're using cloth diapers and wipes and wash them at home.  I use the clothesline to sun them about once a week.
4) We practice babywearing.
5) Following the principles of Attachment Parenting.
6) Refused certain vaccines at Libby's birth.
7) Attempted a natural birth using the Bradley Birth Method and used a doula.
8) Libby's clothing and nursery is 99% recycled items bought via consignment, Craigslist and eBay.

But for really granola, tree hugging folks I would probably be considered more conventional than not...we buy organic when we can, but we don't eat organic foods exclusively.  We're not vegan or even vegetarian although we do try to eat as healthfully as possible, avoiding processed foods and choosing whole grains like quinoa.  That doesn't mean we don't enjoy pizza delivery from time to time or breakfast at our local greasy spoon complete with bacon.  We recycle.  We bring our own, reusable bags with us when we shop.  We try to stick to eco-friendly cleaning supplies and personal products.  But we also leave our electronics plugged in 24/7 and use modern conveniences like a dishwasher and microwave oven.

So we're "in between" and I think that's okay.  The only weird thing is that I am too hippy-dippy for most conventional-types and too-conventional for the more hippy-dippy folks.  I know that I am not alone, but sometimes I feel that it has to be "all or nothing" to feel like I fit in somewhere.  Especially when it comes to parenting choices. 

In general, it seems that if you choose something that is in opposition of another's parenting choice, then it can become a bone of contention.  For example, if I cloth diaper, then I must think parents who use disposables are wrong.  If I chose to breastfeed than I am judging the mom who chooses to use formula.  If we want to bed-share then we must think parents who put their baby in a crib are neglecting them.  None of this could be further from the truth!  I know there may be some folks who feel this way, but not me.  The beauty of parenthood is that there is no one right way to do it.  Only the way that is best for me and my family.  And if that's different than what other parents chose for them and their family, then so be it.  I just wish more people could be okay with that.  But I guess as long as there are people who are insecure in their own choices, there will be those who pass judgement on others.  As long as people have to feel right there will be squabbles over things like this.  Nothing is black and white though.  Especially not parenting.

Nursery Progress

Since we were snowed in for Christmas we decided it would be the perfect time to finish getting our nursery together.

Remember the inspiration board?

Here's how it's all come together:

View of the nursery from the doorway


Simply Shabby Chic (from Target) Pillow and Banners...to decorate the crib.
When the baby sleeps in there we'll take the pillow out though.


Still need to add more decorative accessories to this shelf.
The dress in the middle and two to the right of it were mine when I was a baby.
The other two were awesome consignment sale finds!


Lamp that was in my room when I was a toddler.
I made a new lampshade for it to coordinate with the colors in the nursery.
The lamp was a vintage shop find by my mom when I was just 2 years old,
so it's got to be at least 45-50 years old by now.


These are shelves from IKEA that we've had for at least 10 years!
The baskets had red and yellow striped liners so I made new ones to match the lamp shade.
The Care Bears are new except for the dark blue one which was mine when I was a child...vintage! You can tell he's different because he has real hair and the others don't.


Swivel/Rocker/Recliner we scored for $50 on Craigslist.
The day bed is 25 years old and real enameled
iron with brass finials, also found on Craigslist.
We still need to get a proper quilt for it
(found one I like from Target's Simply Shabby Chic line)
and add the pop up trundle and a dust ruffle.


Bigger view of the room. Not pictured...J's "study" corner which is to the right of the daybed.


Our cloth diaper stash! 36 unbleached Indian cotton prefolds. The other box has the covers and wipes, etc. We also scored a second-hand wipes warmer for $6...I figured it's worth a shot!


Our multi-functional crib with lots of storage.
Still awaiting the arrival of the properly sized changing pad for the top of the drawers.
Best of all it will convert to a single youth bed with a nightstand
when the baby is ready to transition out of the crib.


Wall letters that I made with supplies from the local craft store.
I decoupaged scrapbook paper onto the balsa wood letters and
then attached them to twine with mini clothes-line clips
(hot glued in the back for extra security).
I still plan to add some bird decals to the clothesline.


All of Joseph's work has paid off! We have a gorgeous, sturdy crib for Libby!
He put it together all by himself, by hand!


Me and my bump at 35 weeks pregnant!

I still need to add some wall decals and artwork to the walls, dress the day bed with pillows and linens, etc. But all in all, it's ready for our little girl!

I love a great bargain!

We have totally scored on Craigslist! (Again!) Check it out!

YAY! I love it. It's a dusty rose colored swivel rocker recliner in perfect shape! We bought it for $50 from a couple who's expecting a baby in October and just found out it's a boy and not a girl.

It's a velvet corduroy fabric with little button detailing on back cushion and arms. It's also petite for a recliner, which is perfect for our nursery (albeit a tad small for J...he'll need to add a neck pillow to make it super comfortable for himself). I fit perfectly in it and it passes my "can-I-get-out-of-it-while-holding-a-sleeping-baby?" test. The pugs love it too (go figure) and we spent some quality time in last night, breaking it in.

Oh, and Bella (the cat) has a new favorite nap spot as well! She's spent all day yesterday lounging on the contoured changing pad that we've place on our "changing station" (an IKEA cube shelf we are using in the nursery).

Next up? Finding the perfect lampshade for my antique lamp. I'll have to post a photo soon. My mom bought it for me when I was just a toddler (maybe aged 2 or 3) and it was antique back then! She had it rewired, etc. I have kept in a box for nearly 30 years waiting for the day that I could use it for my own child. It's just too cute for words! In addition to being a sweet lamp it has a music box (playing "Rock-a-by Baby") and a nightlight. I promise to post a photo once it's all dressed up with its new lampshade.

I also plan to break out the sewing machine and make some cute stuffed bird for this mobile:

I found it on this blog, CasaSugar. I also found out that I could purchase a similar one on Etsy for $44, but figured that since Spool has made the pattern available for free and that I have a backyard full of free twigs, not to mention a sewing machine that's gathering dust (I used to sew a lot more when I was in my teens and twenties), then why not take a crack at making it myself? So maybe I'll get started on them this weekend and see how it goes. We also plan to pick up some fabric to make a baby wrap/carrier (like a Moby Wrap), again for WAY less than purchasing.

Sunny, Spring Saturday

Well it's been a while since I've posted. It's been busy! And looking back on the month of March I that I worked every weekend except the last one, which I spent lazing around, watching movies on TV and just generally vegging out! Work is great, but I am realizing that I may actually be on the road more than when I was gigging!

Here's my travel schedule for 2009:

March 3-8: Oklahoma City, OK
March 26-29: Dallas, TX
April 16-20: San Francisco, CA (this one is for pleasure only!)
May 16-21: Auckland, New Zealand
June 1-6: Amsterdam, Nederlands and possibly England
June 21-24: Washington, D.C.
July 22-26: Detroit, MI
October 13-25: Nashville, TN

Speaking of gigging, it has been just about a year since J and I sang in public. It was last Easter for a friend's church. We did some excerpts from Handel's Messiah. My favorite! NOT. We've not missed it at all. Oddly enough we got not one, but two requests to perform on concerts this week. They came via email and were for gigs back in CA. I also got an audition notice, but I am pretty sure that was a mass-email. The other two? Flattered that we've been "off the radar" for near a year and people are still thinking of us. But there's no way we'll be doing it.

I can hardly believe Easter Sunday is tomorrow. Today is the quintessential spring's day. Not a cloud in the sky. Sunny and warm, but not too warm. Gentle breezes ruffle the newly greened trees. The grass is just about needing to be mowed. Birds are chirping like crazy in the trees. J is working today (and had a double yesterday and a double tomorrow!) so I am home and feel like Spring cleaning. But first, I leashed up the puggies and went for a stroll in our neigboborhood. We bumped into a new neighbor, Brandon and his 8 year old pug, Pugsley. Brandon is from Santa Rosa, CA of all places! Puglsey is a rescue and looks a lot like Luigi in size and color. Luigi hasn't met many other pugs, so it was fun to see him figuring his elder out. Too cute.

So now? The windows are all open with the curtains tied up. I plan to get to business with the Spring cleaning. I hope I don't hurt myself! Speaking of which, my new want is this Hann Steamer. It's awesome and does a great job on hard floors, carpets and upholstery with just water! No chemicals or solutions needed! In our eternal quest to become more eco-friendly I thrilled with that. I have recently switched to eco-friendly, organic beauty products, including an aluminum-free deoderant called The Crystal and major switch from the Secret Clinical Strength I have been using since the wedding. So far so good. Add this to the Alba Organics and Burt's Bees we've been using (love the AA coconut body butter and lip balm...SO yummy) and Tom's of Maine Whole Care Toothpaste Gel we started using last month. I also love my Weleda Skin Food. It's incredible!

Next on the list? Natural/Organic haircare, which is a huge challenge with my unruly, naturally curly locks. Do they even make organic mousse and hairspray? And shampoo/conditioner, which I have tried a bunch and so far don't like any of them. After that, I'll tackle going green with my cosmetics. Baby steps, baby steps.

Happy Historic Day

Inauguration Day 2009 is forever burned in our minds and emblazoned on our hearts. What an amazingly uplifting day. How powerful for millions of Americans and others abroad to all be resonating on the single chord of H-O-P-E. Hope for our families. Hope for our friends. And hope for our future.

There are snapshot moments that are already becoming iconic...the entrance of the new first family onto the platform. The queen of soul singing her heart to the masses. The "moment" President Obama made his oath (flubs and all). This will become the "where were you when...???" that is asked for generations to come.

In our household we took the day off from work to soak it all in from the bright images flashing on CNN. This day was especially poignant for J, who descends from African-American and Caucasian parents. In many ways, his story is parallel to Mr. Obama's. And he is proud that our future children will someday be able to dream big and know that it is actually possible that they, one day, could also aspire to the country's highest office. Who knows? One day, our future daughter could be the first African-American, female president! It can happen. And now we all KNOW it.

We also know that there is no magic wand that our new President can wave and save us from all of the turmoil around us. Each of us has to choose personal responsibility in digging out of this situation in whichever way we can. For us? It has meant a move away from materialism. Being artists for so long, money has never been abundant, but even we have been sucked into "keeping up with the Joneses" and living beyond our means from time to time. More recently, we have chosen to give that up. We're aggressively eliminating our debt and building our savings for the first time in our lives. It has meant making a shift in the way we live. We're working on a cash-only basis, which has been a major change for us (oh, me the Queen of the Debit Card). We "spend" all of our monthly income on paper first...designated some for the future, most for the day-to-day stuff, and a little for the whimsical things.

We are also being more mindful of our consumerism...trying to lessen our footprints upon this earth. There is always a way to reduce, reuse and recycle more. When we can, we do. This not only extends to recycling our daily refuse, but also lowering our thermostat (mom is having to adjust to this one!), limiting our purchase of new things (from furniture to vehicles and everything in between), and trying to give more than we take.

There is room for continued growth, for change. And what an awesome time we are in when virtually everyone is vibrating on the same frequency. If only for a moment. That is powerful beyond measure.

Last hours of 2008

I haven't been able to blog since my laptop's DC Jack died on Sunday and I cannot get it to charge up. So, I have ordered a new part and will take it in and have it fixed locally. For now, I am stealing a moment here or there on J's laptop (missing hinge and all!). Ay! Laptops! A necessary evil in this modern times. At least I am not using a Treo or Smartphone anymore and never did touch the Crackberry! LOL.

J is working this evening, but promises he'll be home by 11:30 p.m. to crack open the champagne and ring in the New Year together! And what a new year it will be! I have never been so happy to say good-bye to a year as I am to bid farewell to 2008! What a challenging year full of transition. We look forward to 2009 with hope and optimism for positive change and progress...in our world, in our country, in our home and in our relationship. We're settling into our life here in Tulsa...6 months later. And mom arrives on the 11th and we will assist her with the transition to life as a Sooner. It's going to be good. Very good.

We have some plans and schemes cooked up that should make 2009 interesting. For now, what we know for sure:

1. Mom will be living with us, for at least the first quarter of the year, perhaps longer.
2. J will head back to school in the Fall. Hopefully he can finish up in less than four semesters. We shall see just how much of his coursework from CA will transfer to TCC.
3. I have some travels planned for work in March (OK City), July (Detroit) and October (Nashville). Hopefully we can work in a little vacay/visit to CA sometime in there. J will head to Las Vegas in the coming weeks to visit with his father and stepmother.

The rest? We shall see what the world holds in store for us in 2009. Last year we resolved to become more eco-friendly and a "greener" household. And we have! We shop with reusable bags, changed all of our light bulbs to CFC's, recycle, filter our tap water (rather than buying/using bottled water), and buy gently used/second hand items. REDUCE. REUSE. RECYCLE. It's a work in progress. But we're on the right track.

This year is all about prosperity. Getting our finances in order, paying down debt and saving for the future. We've made some strides. This year we got life insurance polices and started retirement plans. So now, we're working on an emergency fund and debt elimination. Financial freedom is the goal and this year we're taking a huge step in the right direction. Taxes should be somewhat easier this year too now that we're solely W2 income. After years of dozens of 1099-MISC and filing in multiple states (wherever the gigs were), this will be a snap!

Here's to 2009! I am ready! Are you? Wishing you peace and love in the New Year!

An Inconvenient Truth

I caught Al Gore's film today, for the first time, on the Discovery Channel. Holy crap! The graphics projecting the scenario if Greenland and/or the Artic melt is truly frightening. I remember as a kid, being told that one day, San Francisco will be under the ocean. It scared me to death, considering I grew up 7 blocks east of Ocean Beach! But that graphic on this documentary shows much of the SF Bay Area being covered in water, as well as Beijing, New York City and many, many more highly populated cities around the world.

And the numbers he shows for the car industry is uncanny, especially considering the recent bailouts requested from Detroit. There's a reason Honda and Toyota are doing well...low emission vehicles and no emission vehicles in development. Meanwhile, US auto companies continued to push bigger SUVs, Vans and Trucks. Good lord! When I was a child, our family of 5 crammed into a Ford Pinto. It can be done. A family can use a smaller car and be okay. Same thing with homes. Why does each member of the family need their own bathroom and larger, oversized bedroom? Personally, I prefer a smaller home...it's easier to keep clean as well as heat/cool. Now that 450 sq. foot cottage (read: converted, detached two-car garage) was a little small for us (namely due to lack of storage...NO closets!), but seriously....how much space does one couple and a few small pets need? As we think about buying a home, I don't really want to consider anything more than 3 bd/2ba and 2000 sq. ft. And that's if we plan to have a couple of kids. If not, I am fine with a 2 bd/1 ba bungalow. Seriously.

Here is 10 things you can do to reduce global warming.

New (to us) Blue Chair

We scored a new addition to our home decor today, for $10 off of Craigslist:



A local guy inherited from his mother and he's relocating to France and selling all of his stuff. It's sapphire blue brocade, wing backed and best of all...it reclines! It needs a little TLC...we'll clean the upholstery, gift it a good vacuuming, sprinkle a little Febreeze and spruce it up with a throw pillow and cozy throw...voila! It will be perfect for our TV room and will offer a more contructed, yet comfortable place for our visitors to sit (like J's mom who needs more support for her back than our slouchy, loungy down chaise and sofa can offer). Best of all, it was ten bucks!

Today we also had a little date and saw "Four Christmases" with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. It was a riot and had us laughing out loud the entire time. Definitely a "must see" this holiday season. It made us sort-of miss San Francisco (it's set there) but annoyed us that they lived in the City and drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to get to the airport. UGH!

Next on the list? "Nothing Like the Holidays" with John Leguizamo and Debra Messing...it comes out on the 12th. Hopefully by then we'll have our Christmas tree up and decorated. That's the plan.

SNOW!

It is officially snowing today. Incredible! We weren't sure...at first we thougt it was small hail and then it seemed like slushie rain. I guess that's what they call a snow flurry? We have no idea, being native Californians. It's not cold enough (below freezing) to keep on the ground, but it looks pretty neat coming down. The dogs think otherwise. Good thing for those reusable pee pee pads...they're going to come in handy.

20 Ways to Celebrate the Season for little or no cost

1. Trim the tree with ornaments you already own or make some with items from around the house. Think pincones, paper snowflakes, strings of popcorn, etc. I love cutting out the artwork of cards I've received and gluing a little ribbon loop on to them and using them as ornaments.

2. Bake holiday cookies and decorate with frosting in various colors and little candies.

3. Volunteer at a homeless shelter or another place where people are less fortunate that you.

4. Light a fire or a bunch of candles and sip hot cocoa with your loved ones.

5. Read "The Night Before Christmas" to a child.

6. Enjoy Mother Nature's Winter Splendor...bundle up and get outside. Take the dogs or the kids or both. If it snows where you are make a snowman or throw snowballs.

7. Put all of your favorite holiday photos into one album to enjoy year after year.

8. Invite new friends or neighbors over for hot cider or cocoa and cookies.

9. Have cookie exchange with friends, neighbors or coworkers. This also works well with books and ornaments.

10. Make up coupons for services, time, etc. for your loved ones. For example, for your spouse it could be something like "one foot rub" or "one week of doing dishes" etc. For friends it could be "babysitting" or "a day of gardening assistance" or "voice lessons" or whatever would be particularly nice for that individual.

11. Donate unwanted items in good condition to a local shelter.

12. Send holiday e-newsletters via email instead of christmas cards.

13. Sing carols for your neighbors.

14. Simmer cinnamon sticks, orange peels and cloves on your stove to infuse your home with a cozy holiday scent.

15. Take a walk or drive through the local neighborhood that lights it all up. Every town has one!

16. Re-arrange your home, change out the accessories and decorate in a holiday style with things already in your home. Have red pillows on the guest bed? Move them to the couch. And empty vase filled with glass ball ornaments is stunning. Hang fresh evergreen branches from your dining room's chandelier.

17. Have a movie marathon with your favorite holiday movies (most are on TV these days or you may already own DVDs of your favorites) and snuggle up with your loved ones and big bowl of popcorn (with caramel...even better). Every year, we always watch: Planes, Trains and Automobiles; White Christmas; The Grinch; and Elf.

18. Have friends over for game night. Either board games, cards or video games...take your pick!

19. Have a potluck dinner on Christmas Eve or Day...each couple/family brings something to contribute to the meal. Makes it less stressful for you as a host, spreads the cost aroud and also ensures that each person will have at least one thing they like. Exchange recipe cards for the items brought.

20. Take the time to stop and reflect on all that is good in your life. Having an attitude of gratitude is the greatest gift of all and absolutely free.

4 months on the job...

Today marks 4 months on the new job. It's so weird that in just 120 days I can hardly remember my life before living here and having this job. I mean I can remember it, but it seems SO long ago that I was teaching all day, getting to bed at 2 a.m. and not starting the next day until 11 a.m.

Nowadays, 11 a.m. is almost lunchtime and 2 a.m. I had better be FAST asleep or else!

Living and working in Tulsa is starting to feel more "normal". I am glad to have been able to go back to NorCal last month and get it out of my system. It was wonderful visiting friends and family, but I can honestly say, I am not missing the traffic or the high cost of living. Gas here is down to $3.15 this week. And traffic? It might get a little congested at the stoplight just before the mall or entrance to the highway and that's it! Nothing unbearable.

Ooh....on a side note. We had lunch the other day at Organicafe located at the naturalfarms store. Naturalfarms is a small store that sells organic products, many that are locally grown and produced. Their cafe is super cute and the food was delish and soul-satisfying. What's more it's right down the street from work, so I will probably check it out again in the near future.