Savvy Toddler Mom

Busy, busy… I know I haven’t posted in a while.  It just gets to be a last priority when everything else is going haywire!

I picked up a new client a few weeks ago and started serious work for them on May 1st.  It has been a blast, but very time consuming.  I’ve hired a part-time nanny (I’m sharing with CTM) to make sure the toot doesn’t spend my work time parked in front of the TV.  Man, can it be hard to find good nannies.

I had my sister nanny for me last summer — it was the best!  She loves the toot, the toot loves her.  Alas, she had to go back to college when the summer was over.  I asked if she wanted to work for me again this year, but she declined.

I love having a part-time nanny… it means that I can work when it’s work time and I know the toot is getting attention and interacting with someone (and maybe even learning things he wouldn’t learn from me!)… and then when work time is over, it’s mom-time and I can relax and not feel guilty that I’m not working! 

So, that’s pretty much my life these days… working, having some serious mom-time when I’m not working, and enjoying the fact that spring has FINALLY sprung!  Although, of the 24 bulbs I worked so hard to plant earlier this spring, only five have started to grow.  Is that normal?  I’m wondering if, in my haste, I planted some down too deep and they can’t find their way out.  Who knows.

I’m looking forward to Mother’s Day this weekend.  I’m having my family over for lunch on Sunday — a bit different for us.  SavvyDad has been asking me what I want as a gift and I honestly have no idea.  The only things that spring to mind are not things you can buy… sleeping in? no whining from the toot? no cooking for a week? (I guess you could buy that…)  Any other ideas?  What do you want for Mother’s Day?

ChasingToddlerMom asked SavvyDad for some advice on buying a camera fast enough to catch our little ones in action.  I thought you all would be interested in his response…

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STM told me you’re looking for a new camera. Click here for a side-by-side of the cameras you mentioned.

Given this comment: “One of my very highest priorities is to be able to take a decent picture at a quick shutter speed…” it follows that more important even than the camera body (since all 4 that you mention can operate at ~1/4000s max shutter speeds) is the lens. The lens will determine how fast light can get into the camera.

A cheap lens won’t let enough light in during a 1/4000s shot to get a proper exposure. The camera, anticipating this, will slow down the shutter speed to allow more light in (for correct exposure), but gives your subject time to move while the shutter is open.

Here’s my order of preference of the cameras you suggested:

1) Nikon D60 - allows unlimited continuous (’rapidfire’) shots, great variety of available lenses

2) Canon Rebel XTi - plastic body feels iffy, but Canon also has nice lenses available

3) Sony A200 - Sony is new to the DSLR market. This is their second gen camera

4) Sony A100 - Their first DSLR. You know how when Windows XP first came out it wasn’t too stable? I think the same applies here. Sony’s big selling point is that ‘only their camera body’ has Image Stabilization - which is true, but only ’cause the other cameras put stabilization in the lenses.

Here’s the catch:

1) All 4 of those cameras come with equivalent kit lenses (18-55mm, f/3.5-f/5.6) Not especially great, but adequate.

2) You can tell a good lens by the f-number. An f/2.8 is a nice lens, an f/5.6 isn’t. This number corresponds with the max opening the shutter can have - and the more open the shutter, the more light can get in - this makes for quicker exposures. Nice lenses are “fast.”

3) Fast lenses are expensive (for example: Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 is included, but the Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 is $1200).

4) They include mediocre kit lenses with the camera so you’ll go by their nicer ones. And only Nikon lenses fit on Nikons, only Canon lenses fit on Canons, etc.

Here’s the conclusion:

1) SLRs are flexible, but it requires some know-how and some $$ do take advantage of it.

2) You can get fast cameras without, necessarily, an SLR, but be sure and look for that f/#. I suggest www.dpreview.com/ as a resource.

3) Once you settle on a couple of models, go to a camera store and hold them and try them. This is critical.

4) Pay attention to startup times and to shutter lag - the time from pressing the button to hearing the click. Shutter lag is death. Don’t by a camera that has shutter lag and don’t buy a camera that starts up slowly.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have further questions. I love talking about this stuff.

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If you have camera questions for SavvyDad, please email him at the address on the right side bar.

Happy May Day!

I’ve noticed a lot of chatter lately about a chemical found in plastic bottles called bisphenol A (aka BPA). Consumer Reports, National Public Radio, the Canadian Government, and the US Department of Health and Human Services, have all recently published warnings about this chemical.

I’m not a medical professional. But here is what I’ve been able to determine:

1) The plastics industry assures us that there is no problem. (What a relief!) The website factsonplastics.com (run by the American Chemistry Council, formerly known as the Chemical Manufacturers’ Association - an industry trade association for American chemical companies), “affirms that there are no serious or high level concerns for adverse effects of bisphenol A on human reproduction and development.” Interesting wording, huh? “No serious or high level concerns…” Wow. I wonder what they consider ’serious.’ It feels like they’re doing the same thing they did with tobacco and global warming - slander the science, insinuate a lack of consensus and let Fox “News” do the rest.

2) We can be exposed to BPA when it ‘leaches’ into the liquid or food we consume from a BPA lined container. Not all plastics are made with BPA, and not all plastics leach equally. Plastics can be identified by the ‘number in the triangle‘ usually on the bottom of the container. The number of concern is the 7 - and not all #7 bottles contain BPA, though I’ve read there is, “controversy of these bottles not being labeled with any code so that consumers cannot tell what type of plastic is used.” (Oh, great.)

3) The chemical Bisphenol A is worrysome “because it mimics estrogen and thus could induce hormonal responses.” This could be particularly hazardous if a developing child/fetus/toddler/teenager is exposed. There is less of a concern for adults who are not participating in the reproductive process.

4) The National Institute of Health has this to say about it, “…there is some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures,” and that there is “some concern for bisphenol A exposure in these populations based on effects in the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females.” Additionally, “…exposure of pregnant women to bisphenol A will result in fetal or neonatal mortality, birth defects or reduced birth weight and growth in their offspring.” (full article here)

To limit your exposure to BPA, the NIH lists some recommendations at the bottom of this page.

It’s not like we need one more thing to worry about. I just can’t help but think of the hat makers who used mercury to stiffen brims. I wonder if Ye Olde Hat Makers’ Brotherhood was pissed when “so-called scientists” told them to stop using a poisonous chemical in their manufacturing. How did plumbers and water pipe makers react when “science” said to quit using lead in pipes? I don’t know for sure if BPA is as bad as some say, but when it comes to health concerns, I’ll pick science over industry every time.

Every night as I tuck the toot in, I ask him what song he wants me to sing to him.  And every night, the answer is the same: “Jingle Bells.” 

Ever since last Christmas, this kid LOVES Jingle Bells.  If he randomly asks for something else, I know he’s not serious about going to sleep.

While I sing to him, I stroke his hair — he closes his eyes and snuggles in to go to sleep.  It’s adorable.

It got up to 80 degrees this week… and I’m still singing Jingle Bells daily.  I really don’t mind.  I’m wondering how long this trend will last.  It’s an adorable three-year-old-ism that I will miss when he grows out of it.

Does anyone know how to get permanent marker out of a freakin’ expensive Pottery Barn quilt?

Okay, I did buy it on sale, but it doesn’t make me any less upset about it.  The toot decided to color with some forgotten-about markers instead of nap the other day.  To his credit, he was coloring on his wipe-off alphabet cards, but happened to hit the bed SEVERAL times (about a 2-foot area) with the red one.  UGH!

I tried OxyClean, Spray & Wash Stain Stick, hairspray, Thoro, and… lots of muttering under my breath.  Nothing has worked.  I haven’t dried it in the dryer yet.  I took it to the dry cleaners yesterday to see what they could do.

He also got it on his favorite fire truck shirt.  So sad!

On a happy note, I took my car to Bischoff’s — a car wash and detail place in Bountiful, Utah — this morning.  They not only cleaned my car inside and out (not that it needed it!!!), but were also able to buff out the hideous scratches I obtained a while back when I had a close encounter with a concrete pole.  Yay!!  The scratches are still there, of course, but they aren’t white anymore, and if you aren’t looking for them, you would never notice. 

It cost $20 for a “spot buff & wax.”  That is a serious amount of happiness (not to mention release of guilt) for $20. 

I also ran into my old friend Michelle Schmidt there.  Not that she’s old — just that I’ve known her for a long time.  She is absolutely amazing.  It was SO good to see her.  Her husband is pianist Jon Schmidt.  They lived in my parents’ neighborhood during my teenage-through-early-twenties years.  Michelle and Jon both are tremendous examples to me.  I’m so glad I got the opportunity to tell Michelle today how much I appreciate her influence on my younger self.

On a totally other random note, I think I’m going to get the toot a subscription to “Ladybug,” the 3-6 year old magazine from Cricket.  He is SO on the verge of reading!  He loves to identify letters and he’s even started guessing what words are, based on their first (or last) letter.  It’s adorable.

The Children’s Place is having a Spring Sale on Amazon.com.  Check it out!

The first of my spring bulbs peeked through the soil today!  I am so excited!  Spring is finally here and it looks like we’ll even have warm weather this weekend (in the 70s!).

I took the toot to the dentist yesterday — he was great!  They gave him a Lightning McQueen toothbrush… oh my gosh.  I don’t think I’ve seen such a big smile in a while.  A big, clean smile.

[SavvyDad is guest-blogging today - Thanks, hon!] 

I think I almost got scammed by onestopmotors.com. I had to post a review of my experience. If you don’t want the details, skip to the last two paragraphs.

I was toying with the idea of selling my car recently and posted an ad in the local classified website, kslcars.com. The site allows you to post images and a description of your car - no charge. It goes in their database which is easily searchable by year, price, mileage, vicinity, etc. Very easy to browse for a car. No complaints about it.

Two days later, I got a call from a rep from One Stop Motors saying they saw my car ad on KSL’s website. They told me they can sell my car for more than I’m asking and that I can keep all the money they get for the sale. Naturally skeptical, I asked how they make money. He said, “By arranging the financing for buyers.” I was stuck in traffic and figured I could listen to the rest of the story. What followed was a very savvy sales pitch.

I gave them some specs on my car, and they gave me a quote about $1500 more than I was asking. For a $500 fee they would advertise my car on their network until it sold by doing keyword buys for search engines, posting on their affiliate sites, etc. Since ads cost money, they say, it’s in their interest to sell my car quickly. They told me they’d keep advertising until it sold, even if it cost more than the $500 I would be giving. It did make me wonder who would ever buy from them, though. You know they’re asking as much as they think they can get - more even than the actual owner thinks is fair. Whatever.

After their pitch, I expected some pressure to close the sale. To my surprise, it didn’t come. I said I’d think about it. He asked when he could call back. I said, effectively, “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.” “Okay,” he said. “Let me email you that quote and our website so you can check it out.” I gave him my email address, and that was the end of the call.

That email never came and a week later he called back. In the meantime, I went to their website and googled their name. The site looks legit enough. The other search results were …peculiar. The first results were mostly links to them. The #3 result was from a site called “Rip-Off Report,” with this blog entry, which reads like a sales pitch, clearly not an objective assessment of someone’s experience. Get this quote: “…they continue to fulfill their commitment to superior customer service…” and “*UPDATE Employee.. inside information ..OneStopMotors provides everything they say they will.” (How reassuring.) They clearly have a wide network of rather disingenuous bloggers. Many dozens of search results have URLs with some permutation of their name. I can’t prove they’re trying to drown out dissent, but if you were going to, this is exactly what it would look like.

So I go the the Better Business Bureau site and find this page which reports “this company is not a member” and “The company has an unsatisfactory record due to the failure to eliminate the underlying cause of consumer dissatisfaction.” This causes me to look deeper into google search results and find individual experiences. Then I ask myself, “If I give them $500, what keeps them from doing nothing?” According to one customer, “they keep calling untile[sic] they get your credit card # then you never here [sic] from them again.”

When I got the next call, I said I would not be doing business with them as I saw they weren’t members of the BBB. The sales rep told me, “The hell we’re not!” (They’re not.) He then insulted me and asked if I realized the volumes they deal with. Before I could respond, he hung up on me. It’s possible he had a point. According to the BBB, of “168 complaints in the last 36 months, 66 were closed in the last year,” which tells me they have made some efforts to resolve complaints. Whether it’s because they care about the customer, or the just bad publicity is anyone’s guess. FYI, Costco had a total of 257 complaints in the same time period.

I would not do business with One Stop Motors. If you pay $500 and they do a crappy job, you have no recourse. They have no incentive to be a strong advocate for you since they a) already have your money and b) have flooded search results with their sites, effectively burying objective evaluations/dissent/complaints. If you found this when researching these guys, then you’re a pretty savvy reader.

I know I think every age is cuter than the one before, but 3 1/2 is definitely it!  The toot has been SO affectionate the last month or so… more than his usual sweetness.  Demanding hugs and kisses - multiple times!  Giving hugs and kisses unprompted.  Saying, “I love you” ALL the time.  In fact, he has a song he sings: “I love you; You’re my best friend.”  It’s adorable.

He is such a sweetheart!  Now, if I could only get him to nap everyday… he missed his nap yesterday and was an absolute MONSTER by the time SavvyDad got home.  He even lost his Wii privileges for the rest of the day.  Poor kid.  That was a knife in the heart for him.  He did go to bed early, but then was up early.  *sigh*

Today he took a short (but late) nap, so I don’t even think I can get away with putting him to bed early.  He’s a cutie, though.

A couple of weeks ago we had our “jammie day” together — and now he wants every day to be jammie day. LOL  Today he was sporting his two-piece Lightning McQueen jammies and was just freakin’ adorable.  Yeah, he wore them until we left for Costco at 11am.

Where on EARTH does the time go?  It’s April 1st today!  When did that happen?  I think I’m stuck back at the beginning of January - still trying to recover from Christmas and deciding what to do this year.  Before I know it, tax returns are due in two weeks!

By the way, I got my first issue of Wondertime today and it did not disappoint!  I was reading it while the toot was eating lunch… only ten pages in, and I was laughing so hard I was crying.  If you haven’t already, I recommend checking it out.

I decided yesterday (as I was procrastinating getting my last few hours of the month in) that I REALLY need to find time for my hobbies.  It’s so funny… I don’t consider blogging a hobby!  Although, I do need more time to blog as well.  I especially want to find the time to go through all our photos, print the ones I want, and SCRAPBOOK!  I also have my little niece Vivian’s quilt to finish before she goes to grade school (haha) and I’d like to put together a scrapbook of my father’s ancestors.  Not to mention, scan the box of photos I found in my parents’ basement last summer.  It’s been sitting on the end of my desk since September taking up TONS of room!

Like most toddler moms, there aren’t enough hours in the day!  I have learned that I just can’t do it all… but I guess I refuse to be resigned to that. LOL

I’m going to try to set some time aside each week to spend on those projects.  I’m going to make a list of them… schedule the time on my calendar… and just DO it.  (There I go being a Nike ad again.)

The great thing about all these projects is that they are things the toot can do with me!  He loves to play in my craft room while I scrapbook or sew.  I have a table in there for him to color, glue, etc. and do what mom is doing.  He usually just brings his massive amounts of cars in there and plays.  I show him what I’m working on and we talk about it… he is at the stage where he has so many questions.  “But why?” is becoming more and more common.

Another new thing he’s started is, when we are driving down the road and he hears a horn honk, he says, “Who’s the idiot?”  Thanks, SavvyDad.

ChasingToddlerMom’s blog today takes the cake… poor girl, her little guy has given her a rough week!