Opinions for Nothing

Resolution Update: Day 11

Things I got rid of since the last update:

2 pack-n-play sheets

19 cardboard coasters that I only used for birthday parties

1 Hello Kitty water bottle made in China

3 pairs of decorative edging scissors

2 USB drives

A bread basket with warming stone

Things I already got rid of:

13 candy canes

2 pieces of peppermint taffy

1 terrible book

1 organza gift bag

12 silver plastic chargers

12 gold plastic chargers

3 baby blankets

8 toddler pants

3 toddler shirts

1 toddler sweater

3 baby pants

4 pr kids socks

1 basket

1 pr panties (never worn, they fit like crap)

Vase w/fake rununculus

2 dish towels

2 doz votives

10 skinny taper candles

3 taper candles

1 lg earthenware bowl

2 pkgs jelly beans leftover from making turkey cake pops

1 drinking glass that I dropped on the kitchen floor

Mega Bloks bus w/driver

3 pillar candle holders

1 doz stocking stuffer toys and doo-dads

Stamping supplies

Scrapbooking supplies

3 casserole dishes

Potato ricer

Loaf pan

3 mixing bowls

Wooden salad bowls

Microplane

Mandoline-style slicer

8 disposable loaf pans

16-year-old down parka

10-year old leather jacket

5-year-old puffy pink jacket

5 pairs of pants

3 sweaters

2 bathing suits

2 pairs of shoes

3 belts

More of my clothes

Baby clothes

Baby shoes

Bibs

Diaper bag

Insulated bottle cooler bag

Baby play mat

Bumbo seat

12 champagne glasses

5 cookbooks

Toys

Children's books

Wrapping paper, bows, etc.

Call for Opinions: Mascara and Eyeliner

First, I am always looking for new eyeliner. I like a pencil or a pen, not a brush. Do you have a favorite eyeliner? Second, I am terrible at mascara. I have long lashes that are stick straight. They aren't thick but they aren't sparse either. I try to curl my lashes, but by the time I'm done applying mascara, they're straight again. I need help with utensils, products, and techniques. I would appreciate any advice you have in this area.

I make things more difficult than they need to be.

My New Year's resolution to get rid of ten things a day was a continuation of what I'd already been doing to pare down our possessions before we move to a smaller house. It isn't really about reducing the amount of stuff we own, it is more about streamlining our lives. We have very busy lives. Apparently, I am an overachiever and I won't admit it. (Several people, in different areas of my life, have pointed this out to me recently. I still don't buy it.)

I had a set of three ceramic mixing bowls from my mother-in-law. They were pretty and went well with our kitchen decor. They also weighed a ton. I nearly gave myself a hernia every time I took them out of the cupboard. I had those mixing bowls for five years. Last month, I did more baking than I normally do and it became apparent that I had to get rid of those mixing bowls. It wasn't an easy decision, though. They are nice. They were a gift. They are functional and in great condition. But, I had to ask myself this, "Do they make my life easier?" No, so they go. They went.

I wanted to replace them with plastic mixing bowls with a pour spout and rubber grips, so I put a set of those mixing bowls on my Amazon wish list. And, just as I was getting to this part of the post, I thought, "You have a good job, jackass, why don't you just buy them for yourself?" [please hold]  So, I just did, along with a new mandoline slicer to replace the comically dangerous one we used to own and new measuring devices that will help us reduce the number of them we need to own.

For some reason, I don't like to buy new things that would make my life easier if I already own something that is performing basically the same function. A few months ago, I finally bought a new trashcan to use for recycling in the kitchen. The lid had broken on the old stepcan and no longer worked with the pedal. It pissed me off every time I had to lift it to put something in there, or it fell on the floor because it sat at a weird angle on top of the can. I lived with that broken thing for a year. A year! What the hell is wrong with me?

Last night, I bought 100 paper coffee cups with plastic lids. I finally said, "Screw the environment." I am tired of having every cupholder in my car filled with a dirty glass from my house. I take a drink with me to work in the morning, but I can't bring the glass in when I get home because my hands are full with kids. Once I get into the house, I have to let the dog out, get the baby's bottle, and get the toddler's dinner. Then, I forget to go back out, and I bring a new glass out in the morning. Now, I can just throw away (recycle) the dirty cup when I get to work. Seriously, the environment can suck it.

The next thing I am going to do is buy duplicates of some of my make-up and moisturizers so that I can keep a little bag in my purse. I tried putting my regular make-up bag in my purse but then I would be too lazy to go downstairs and fish it out in the morning when I wanted to put on make-up, so I ended up carrying it around all the time and never wearing make-up.

This is so obvious, but it has taken me 35 years to figure it out.

Resolution Update: Day 8

Things I got rid of since the last update:

I nearly forgot about getting rid of stuff last night, then I spotted a crystal cookie jar on my countertop that was only supposed to be there for the holidays, so I got rid of:

13 candy canes

2 pieces of peppermint taffy

Things I already got rid of:

1 terrible book

1 organza gift bag

12 silver plastic chargers

12 gold plastic chargers

3 baby blankets

8 toddler pants

3 toddler shirts

1 toddler sweater

3 baby pants

4 pr kids socks

1 basket

1 pr panties (never worn, they fit like crap)

Vase w/fake rununculus

2 dish towels

2 doz votives

10 skinny taper candles

3 taper candles

1 lg earthenware bowl

2 pkgs jelly beans leftover from making turkey cake pops

1 drinking glass that I dropped on the kitchen floor

Mega Bloks bus w/driver

3 pillar candle holders

1 doz stocking stuffer toys and doo-dads

Stamping supplies

Scrapbooking supplies

3 casserole dishes

Potato ricer

Loaf pan

3 mixing bowls

Wooden salad bowls

Microplane

Mandoline-style slicer

8 disposable loaf pans

16-year-old down parka

10-year old leather jacket

5-year-old puffy pink jacket

5 pairs of pants

3 sweaters

2 bathing suits

2 pairs of shoes

3 belts

More of my clothes

Baby clothes

Baby shoes

Bibs

Diaper bag

Insulated bottle cooler bag

Baby play mat

Bumbo seat

12 champagne glasses

5 cookbooks

Toys

Children's books

Wrapping paper, bows, etc.

Resolution Update: Day 7

Things I got rid of since the last update:

1 terrible book

1 organza gift bag

12 silver plastic chargers

12 gold plastic chargers

Things I already got rid of:

3 baby blankets

8 toddler pants

3 toddler shirts

1 toddler sweater

3 baby pants

4 pr kids socks

1 basket

1 pr panties (never worn, they fit like crap)

Vase w/fake rununculus

2 dish towels

2 doz votives

10 skinny taper candles

3 taper candles

1 lg earthenware bowl

2 pkgs jelly beans leftover from making turkey cake pops

1 drinking glass that I dropped on the kitchen floor

Mega Bloks bus w/driver

3 pillar candle holders

1 doz stocking stuffer toys and doo-dads

Stamping supplies

Scrapbooking supplies

3 casserole dishes

Potato ricer

Loaf pan

3 mixing bowls

Wooden salad bowls

Microplane

Mandoline-style slicer

8 disposable loaf pans

16-year-old down parka

10-year old leather jacket

5-year-old puffy pink jacket

5 pairs of pants

3 sweaters

2 bathing suits

2 pairs of shoes

3 belts

More of my clothes

Baby clothes

Baby shoes

Bibs

Diaper bag

Insulated bottle cooler bag

Baby play mat

Bumbo seat

12 champagne glasses

5 cookbooks

Toys

Children's books

Wrapping paper, bows, etc.

Resolution Update: Day 6

Things I got rid of since the last update:

(I went a little nutso last night.)

3 baby blankets

8 toddler pants

3 toddler shirts

1 toddler sweater

3 baby pants

4 pr kids socks

1 basket

1 pr panties (never worn, they fit like crap)

Vase w/fake rununculus

2 dish towels

2 doz votives

10 skinny taper candles

3 taper candles

1 lg earthenware bowl

2 pkgs jelly beans leftover from making turkey cake pops

1 drinking glass that I dropped on the kitchen floor

Mega Bloks bus w/driver

3 pillar candle holders

1 doz stocking stuffer toys and doo-dads

Things I already got rid of:

Stamping supplies

Scrapbooking supplies

3 casserole dishes

Potato ricer

Loaf pan

3 mixing bowls

Wooden salad bowls

Microplane

Mandoline-style slicer

8 disposable loaf pans

16-year-old down parka

10-year old leather jacket

5-year-old puffy pink jacket

5 pairs of pants

3 sweaters

2 bathing suits

2 pairs of shoes

3 belts

More of my clothes

Baby clothes

Baby shoes

Bibs

Diaper bag

Insulated bottle cooler bag

Baby play mat

Bumbo seat

12 champagne glasses

5 cookbooks

Toys

Children's books

Wrapping paper, bows, etc.

Resolution Update: Day 5

Things I got rid of since the last update:

Stamping supplies

Scrapbooking supplies

3 casserole dishes

Potato ricer

Loaf pan

3 mixing bowls

Wooden salad bowls

Microplane

Mandoline-style slicer

8 disposable loaf pans

16-year-old down parka

10-year old leather jacket

5-year-old puffy pink jacket

5 pairs of pants

3 sweaters

2 bathing suits

2 pairs of shoes

3 belts

More of my clothes

Baby clothes

Baby shoes

Bibs

Diaper bag

Insulated bottle cooler bag

Baby play mat

Bumbo seat

12 champagne glasses

5 cookbooks

Things I already got rid of:

Toys

Children's books

Wrapping paper, bows, etc.

Call for Opinions: What do grown-ups do for fun?

Jamie asks:

My husband and I have discovered that we are the most boring people on earth. With every day being a 12-hour workday we don’t have a lot of free time, but what little we have, we have no idea what to do with. When we were younger we loved to go out and party, but we’ve outgrown it. And we never replaced these activities with anything else. Also, all of our friends have either had kids or never grew up, so we don’t really associate with anyone anymore.

So, basically we have no friends (we both work at the same place and everyone here is either way older than us, or has kids, or is weird or all of the above) and no hobbies. All we do is sit and stare at each other going “What do you wanna do? I don’t know, what do YOU wanna do?”

Is there some sort of match-making site for couples in their late 20’s-early 30’s to meet other lame people with no friends? If not, there should be. It’s hard to make friends as an adult.

Anyone have any suggestions for hobbies? We are not athletic and are both very accident prone, so anything with sharp pointy things (like darts) or heavy things (like bowling) or physical activity (like, um, sports) is not good. Also, anything that takes a long time (we have no attention span), or involves weirdos (like Renaissance fairs or Civil War Re-enactment) is out.

This is a good topic, about which I have surprisingly few opinions. My husband and I watch TV, go to the movies, and hand out with family (I have lots) and friends (we have few). We don't have tons of free time, though. We both have long commutes. We have two small children. I am taking MBA classes. I have to blog, and tweet, and post reviews on Yelp or the world will end. My husband plays online games. We're both fat because we don't exercise.

Anybody have some ideas for Jamie?

New Year's Resolutions

Sometimes I do new year's resolutions, sometimes I don't. This year, I've been trying to make some changes in my life and I'm continuing those into 2010. Those don't count as resolutions. I have one resolution this year: to get rid of 10 things a day.

Yesterday, I donated easily 100 toys and books to a local charity. They're going to have to make my house a regular stop on their weekly route. Today, I'm packing up all of my scrapbooking and stamping supplies and sending them to my mother-in-law at her winter home in Florida so that she can have crafty things there, too. This weekend I'll also get rid of some of my holiday decorations and some kitchen items.

Did you make a new year's resolution?

Disciplining Other People's Children

I confess. I discipline other people's children. Family, friends, strangers. It's a reflex. I don't think twice about doing it and I don't feel any remorse for having done it.

Last night, I had dinner at Souplantation with Amy, from Parenting with Duct Tape, her 10-year-old, her 2-year-old, and my 2-year-old. I came back to the table with a blueberry muffin. I gave my toddler half. She shared a little with Amy's toddler. Amy asked her daughter if she would like a blueberry muffin, too. Her daughter nodded and demanded, "Get me blueberry muffin!"

I immediately responded with, "Excuse me, you need to say, 'Please,'" which is exactly what I would have said to my own daughter. It wasn't until later that evening, or maybe even the next morning, that I realized I had disciplined someone else's kid right in front of her and wondered if she had been offended. As I said, I don't feel any remorse for having done it, but it did make me wonder why I do it.

My large extended family is filled with cousins, aunts, and uncles. Growing up, we all lived in the same town and everyone congregated at my grandmother's house. There was always some mix of kids and adults around. If you were a kid, you were expected to listen to any adult present and you could expect to be disciplined by any adult present. It's still that way in my family. If I ask my cousins' kids or my nieces and nephews to do something, I expect them to do it. If I see them doing something they shouldn't, they should expect me to respond to it.

The kids play area at the mall is the worst. Inattentive mothers let loose their tiny hooligans and glue their eyes to their iPhones. My polite, friendly, small-for-her-age toddler doesn't stand a chance against some of those beasts. It's not like I'd put someone else's kid in a time-out or beat the ass of a deserving mini-thug, but I will point a finger and say in a slightly-too-loud, stern voice, "Watch it!" I will also follow that up with a distasteful look at the mother in case my tone caused her to look up to see what sort of trouble her future criminal has gotten himself into now.

I haven't asked Amy if it bothers her if I discipline her children. (I didn't even tell her I was posting this.) I don't think she requires my assistance and I don't think her children require additional discipline. As I said, it's reflexive, and I don't plan to stop.

Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days - DVD Review

I am not going to beat around the bush with this review. I LOVE Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days. It is everything I was hoping Sesame Street - Old School would be, but wasn't. I found Old School to be dated, not nostalgic. That's part of the reason I had the 40 Years DVD for over a month before I finally got around to watching it. I am so glad I did.

Watching a full episode of Sesame Street from the 1960s or 1970s is boring, but Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days takes the best segments and puts them all together. There were so many segments that I remembered from my childhood once I saw them on the screen. It just made me happy to watch it and I was thrilled that my toddler enjoyed watching it, too. (She did not enjoy Old School.)

There are a couple different options for watching. You can turn on the pop-up facts and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. This collection also comes with a little commemorative book.

Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days is a joy to own and watch and I highly recommend buying it to anyone who every watched Sesame Street as a kid.

This DVD was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of writing this review.

Winner of the Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian DVD/Blu-Ray Giveaway

And the winner is Cheryl W., as chosen by the random number generator at random.org.

Email your mailing address to me at peevedmichelle at yahoo dot com, or DM me on Twitter.

Call for Opinions: Short Hair vs. Long Hair

I've had a short hair jones lately. I am constantly going back and forth between short hair and long hair, or at least shoulder-length hair and long hair. Right now, my hair is about bra strap length. I was thinking of letting it grow another 4-6 inches, which would mean getting it cut next Summer or Fall.

Lately, though, I've been thinking about getting some sort of bob. Now is a good time for me to get a short hair cut. Because my hair has thinned out due to post-partum hair loss, a short hairstyle wouldn't be bushy like it normally would for me. My hair will eventually get thicker but, by then, I will have probably decided I hate short hair and will have started growing my hair out again.

When I see short hair on other women, I think it looks cool and fashionable. When I see long hair on other women, I think it looks pretty and sexy.

Opinions?

DVD Review and Giveaway -- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

I have been meaning to post this review and giveaway for WEEKS. The holidays, they done snuck up on me. First, I could never find time to watch the movie. I finally popped it in the DVD player one day during the week of Thanksgiving when my friend, Joanne, and I found ourselves stuck in the house with the kids. Then, I could never find time to post this review. Long story short, this review is going to be short, too.

I enjoyed this movie. I don't think Joanne did. She kept saying, "We are not the target demographic for this movie." I actually enjoyed Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian more than the first Night at the Museum. In this one, Ben Stiller's character isn't as much of a loser as he was in the first one, and he isn't battling against the museum exhibits; they are united with him against a common foe.

If you liked Night at the Museum, you will like Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. If you never saw Night at the Museum but you have school-age children, you will probable enjoy this movie as well. At least your kids will.

WIN IT

I have one copy of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian to giveaway.

To enter for a chance to win it, leave a comment here telling me whether or not you watch Glee and who your favorite character is if you watch it. (Not as random as it seems. The coach on Glee plays Attila the Hun in this movie.

For another chance to win, tweet about this giveaway. "RT @PeevedMichelle Enter to win a copy of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Ends Monday 12/14 http://bit.ly/84xhI6" You must leave a second comment on this post letting me know you tweeted it. (If you aren't on Twitter, but you are my friend on Facebook, you can get a second entry by reposting this link on Facebook. Again, you must leave a second comment on this post letting me know you reposted this on Facebook.)

Contest ends Monday 12/14, Midnight Pacific.

I was provided with a free copy of this DVD for the purpose of creating this review.

Chia Obama Winner

Robin wins Chia Obama! The random number generator chose her retweet comment. Email me your mailing address. peevedmichelle at yahoo dot com

Is Chia Obama racist?

I was listening to the John and Ken Show on KFI AM 640 on Monday. They were talking to Joseph Pedott, founder of the Chia Pets company and creator of Chia Obama. He was so earnest in his description of how he conceived the idea of Chia Obama. He wanted to honor the President with something respectful that represented the hope the President was bringing to the nation (a year ago, when Pedott first had the idea).

Pedott carefully chose every word and phrase in the television commercial and on the Chia Obama packaging so that each sent an uplifting, patriotic message without being political. Pedott took the product to Walgreen's, with which he had a long-standing business relationship. They were thrilled with the product and tested it in the Chicago and Tampa markets, debuting it on a Saturday. Each day the Chia Obama was on the shelves, sales increased 50% over the day before. Walgreens told Pedott they wanted to go nationwide with the product. Pedott shelled out the bucks and ordered 500,000 units. That Friday, Walgreens pulled the plug because there were some complaints about the product being racist.

"Since when is an Afro racist?" asked Pedott. He added that owners can trim Chia Obama's "hair" to any length they want. When Pedott gave one to President Obama, the President liked it. Even Jesse Jackson didn't think it was racist. Jesse Jackson, dudes.

My question is the same as Pedott's: How can an Afro be racist? Obama wore an Afro when he was younger. If he let his hair grow out now, he could have one again. (How awesome would that be?) Recently, I heard a news story about the inventor of a line of black Barbies who was criticized for making their hair too "white." The creator is black herself and said her favorite thing about playing with Barbies when she was a girl was playing with their long hair.

Right now, the only place you can buy Chia Obama in stores is at Fred Meyer in Seattle and Portland. You can also buy Chia Obama online at www.ChiaObama.com or on Amazon. Even better, you can win a Chia Obama right here.

WIN IT

To enter to win a Chia Obama, leave a comment on this post telling me if you think Chia Obama is racist or not.

To get a second entry, tweet this "RT @PeevedMichelle Can hair be racist? (Enter to win a Chia Obama!) http://bit.ly/3FMN2o" AND post a second comment letting me know you tweeted it.

Contest closes Black Friday (11/27) at Midnight Pacific. I will choose a winner randomly from those who comment.

Oopsies

You may have seen a video of my kid here earlier today because I accidentally posted it to the wrong blog.

Call for Opinions: Do you think really deep thoughts?

I don't consider myself to be a deep person who thinks deep thoughts and contemplates all sorts of deep issues. For the most part, I think I am shallow. I like pretty things and shopping and making my house nice and dressing my kids in cute outfits and having shiny hair and writing funny blog posts and tweets and status updates.

I am interested in a variety of topics. I like to learn about things but only enough to form a general opinion about them and then I like to move on to something new. I like to know about a lot of things but I don't like to know a lot about things.

I don't have a burning ambition to find myself or discover myself or explore hidden areas of my psyche. I don't think I have any hidden areas. I feel like I know myself very well. I am conscious of my flaws and prejudices. If I do have a hidden area, it is where I hide the reasons why I stay fat. If you can help me find that one, you will be my hero.

What about you? Deep, shallow, wading in up to your chest?

THE MIDDLE, starring Patricia Heaton

One night this week, I found myself with nothing to watch on TV so I checked out what was On Demand. I found THE MIDDLE on ABC. I'd heard about this show in the summer and then completely forgotten about it. One of the downfalls of only watching recorded shows and fast-forwarding through commercial breaks is that I rarely see promos for shows I don't already watch.

THE MIDDLE is a sitcom about life in the flyover states. (I only use that term because that is part of their opening title sequence. Otherwise, I HATE that term.) Patricia Heaton plays an average working mom with an average husband and three average kids. You'll recognize Neil Flynn, who plays the dad, from his role as the janitor on SCRUBS. Heaton and Flynn, while not my favorites in the past, were both charming and funny in their new roles.

If you haven't seen THE MIDDLE yet, I recommend checking it out. Verizon On Demand only had the pilot, but all the episodes are available on Hulu until 11/19.

(Speaking of middles, I caught an episode of MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE this week and laughed my ass off. I wonder why I never watched that show when it was on.)

Call for Opinions: Time Off for Good Behavior

When you ask for time off from work, using your earned vacation time, do you tell your boss what the time off is for? I generally do not. Now that we have an automated system, I put nothing in the comments field. Before, when the boss had to actually sign a piece of paper, I would just leave it on his desk with no comment. It has been a long time since I have been in a position where I felt it was necessary to justify using my time off.

Recently, like a week before he got laid off, my husband was questioned by his boss about his time off because he was taking a half day one week and a day off the next week. One was to get a free flu shot at my office and the other was to get a fricking vasectomy. I helped him word his email reply to his boss so as to maximize the discomfort his boss would feel for having asked the question.

Do you have to tell your boss why you are taking time off?