Time for vacation

This coming Tuesday we are off for our annual family vacation. Our trip takes us to Michigan every summer to visit my husband's family. We get to spend some good time visiting and relaxing. I've been busy all week packing and getting ready. I've not only been organizing the things we need to pack but also things home business things- like bills and what not. I've kept myself organized by using a little notebook with lists for each family member and lists for things to do tomorrow and the morning of our departure. I think we are in good shape!

Share your toys...

I mean sharing baby toys (equipment, toys, books, etc.) that is. Today we had a play date with a Dear Friend and her Dear Daughter. While we were there we borrowed her baby food processor and planned the return of a previously borrowed exersaucer and a swing. Then, ironically, when we pulled into our driveway later this afternoon, a neighbor, who is the Grandma of a 2 year old, handed down a baby activity walker to share with our Baby Boy.

Why buy anything these days for baby or toddlers when they use the supplies for such a short time? Once you have a network of friends with similar age kids and a good supply of stuff- start sharing your toys. There are so many benefits to this, it saves money, allows you to try out products you might otherwise not have purchased, and keeps used baby things out of our land fills.

This is not a new idea by any means but today really reinforced it. So keep your toys in good condition (we all know we can't help some wear) and pass them along to another family.

Happy Sharing!

Baby on the Way

A dear friend of mine is expecting her first baby in October and two of us went to visit her in LA this past weekend. In addition to girl time, we helped her and her husband with their Baby Registry. First we worked on their registry at Babies R Us. Then the next day we headed to Pottery Barn Kids for the textiles and room decor. Having a baby and a Pre-schooler, it is easy to forget how over whelming all of the baby stuff is when you are planning for your first baby. The rest of the weekend we would point our gear that Moms and Dads we saw were using. I think we were all beat but they had a good introduction to baby stuff by the time we got done!

A couple of our favorite things we were sure to tell them about were:

Aden + Anais Blankets
My Breastfriend Nursing Pillows
The Container Store's wooden children's hangers