• artsy fartsy,  Bug

    Contact Paper is my Friend

    You wouldn’t think that when I’m in the middle of it. The stuff is so sticky. It never sticks where I want it to. It wrinkles and it goes on crooked and then there’s the cat hair and finger prints, it’s just a big mess. BUT when I’ve finally managed to finish my project, it’s a thing of beauty.

    My project was this: I was tired of Baby Bug displaying her artistic talents on the cupboard wall beside her high chair. Sure, I could move the chair (and I will when she gets big enough to kick herself off of it) but it fits there and it’s out of the way next to the wall. However, being close to the wall also provides lots of surface area for Baby Bug smear stuff on. I was tired of scrubbing the butternut squash, the bananas, the rice cereal and pureed carrots off the wall. It feels like all I do all day long is scrub up after the baby. Scrub scrub scrub. Every surface has to be cleaned. It’s a lot of work. So I schemed up an idea that would turn my laborious scrubbing into a simple wipe. Contact paper! A coat of high gloss paint would do the trick too but I’m not up for painting these days.

    So I stuck some pictures of her favorite people and a favorite toy between two pieces of contact paper and taped it up on the wall beside Baby Bug’s high chair. Presto: sticky swipe problem solved. As an added benefit we also have a fun game to play during our hour long “feeding the baby” sessions. While I try and dodge her swiping hands and sneak spoon fulls of food into her mouth, she can point out where her Daddy is or where Pounce is..

    She’s learning too. I say, “Where is Daddy?” and sometimes I swear she bats at the picture of Toby. Sometimes she just bats at the whole thing… but at least it’s easy to wipe off. She loves it, I love it. It’s great. I just wish I could contact paper her too.

  • Bug,  The Zoo

    Baby Bug in Clothes with Cats

    What a day. I think my sides still hurt from laughing so hard. It sure was fun emailing everybody. Unfortunately, I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t multi-task any more. No more holding Baby Bug on my lap while I peck out an email one handed. She is at a stage where she requires my attention 100% of the time or she starts this edgy whine that works my last nerve and exhausts me. The more I ignore her, the worse it gets and I’m turning into this lousy mom who resents the child who needs her all the time.

    So from now on I’m just going to have to shut the laptop and only check in during her naps and after she goes to sleep. Bummer I know, but I have to. Myspace smackdown is fun and I sure would like to zap all those hotlinkers but I just can’t. Today whupped me in the butt. I do not like a cranky needy baby. Even after she has been sleeping for an hour I can still feel the tension in my neck. It wasn’t until I strapped her into the sling and headed off to the nearest Mexican Food joint for dinner that I realized that I was just plain wore out. I thought about everything I did and it wasn’t more than usual. I think it was just trying to console her all day that zapped me.

    But I’m not too zapped to post some cute pictures of Baby Bug playing with the cats. A couple of people emailed me saying they missed seeing the cats. I also got another email accusing me of never dressing my baby anymore. I know I’m guilty of that, but it has been hot in our apartment! So here you go, Baby Bug in clothes with cats.