Thematic Thursdays: Will Strip For Gifts
I think I’m going to start stripping. I’ll have to do something extra to meet the demands of my holiday-crazed family. Hannibal wants the Vestax DJ Mixer from apple, which is $250. He also wants another gadget that will connect our ipods and phones to the television via bluetooth. Fuss needs a host of clothes and toys, because I gave all of Mooch’s away years ago to friends who had baby girls after me. Sweet Mooch only asked for roller skates and a new pair of Twinkle Toes. Unfortunately, there are nearly a million crafts and other things I’d like to get her.
This is all coupled with the fact that ALL THREE of the other people in my house have birthdays right after Kwanzaa!! :-O Fun fact: I haven’t asked any of them for anything. I can’t think of anything I want, because Hannibal has spoiled me rotten for the past year. I’m going to try to make this work without selling my neighbor’s kid for parts overseas.
Here it is! The Tabu Holiday Guide:
Vestax
Illustory
Tape Crazy
Make Your Own Games
Flipbook
Rockstar Style
Latches
Most of Fuss’ stuff came from Lakeshore and their site doesn’t have half of the stuff I bought in store. With babies and toddlers, I like to focus on wooden toys and puzzles that I can use for homeschooling. She got a few things from Amazon and a Montessori site online.
Mooch’s skates are black with blue wheels and yellow pom-poms. I’m keeping them a secret, though. Wish me luck.
Workin’ Wednesdays: Bag Lady
My energy is wearing thin. I have several projects and I think the fact that I have a new baby is finally hitting me. I’m pretty sure that there are bags under my eyes to match the diaper bag, dance bag and grocery bags I carry.
Fuss is advancing rapidly. Much of my daytime energy lately has been devoted to keeping her from electrocuting us both. She closes my laptop while I’m typing my blog, pulls out the plug on my last 30 seconds of charge and bangs a one consonant paragraph into the middle of my designs. I took about a week of this before I realized she’s trying to tell me to get off the computer.
I’ve decided that I won’t work during the daytime anymore. It’s simply not possible. I have to reschedule my time so that I work for the two hours after the kids go to bed plus six hours on the weekends. This way I don’t miss the precious first years of her life.
A laptop bag is one bag I will no longer be carrying during the week.
Tuesdays With Mooch: Pats and Spats
Mooch isn’t the only one learning at her new school. The well-designed program has taught the rest of our family a thing or two as well. In addition to the “three gates” lesson, where she taught us to ask ourselves “Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?” before we say things, she’s now taught us about “Pats and Spats.”
This is a time when she and her classmates get to sit on the rug and share their grievances and compliments with each other. The idea is that each student gets to choose another kid in class and air a problem that they have with them. They must first give the person a “pat” by saying something nice about them.
We decided to implement this at nuclear family gatherings. We don’t have planned, organized “family meetings.” We think it’s a little corny and contrived (well, I do, at least). We let conversations happen organically. They seem to be more productive that way. We tried something similar to “Pats and Spats” before and it didn’t go well. I’m not going to say why, but let’s just say I’m willing to play nice next time. 
Marital Mondays: Apps-olutely Save Your Marriage. Maybe.
A few weeks ago, Hannibal handed me my Diva Cup with a savvy expression taped across his face, and said “You’ll be needing this today.” I didn’t even question it. I just took it, boiled it and popped it in. That’s because Hannibal has been keeping track of my period since he got his Nokia N900. He has an app called Maegirls, that tells him when I’m ovulating, experiencing PMS and on my rag (or cup in this case).
The app helps our marriage in a multiplicity of ways. Hannibal is in tune with my cycle, so when I’m a complete PMS douche-quat, he’s able to keep a level head, be sweet and offer support. When I’m ovulating, he’s excited to light a candle and slap a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door.
We both had Treos for most of our relationship, so we’re no strangers to smartphones. Our union heavily depended on the calendar, alarms and notes apps that our phones supplied. Hannibal recorded such things as my favorite flower and candy bar, while I documented our first date and each time we made love. Now I have an HTC Touch Pro2, which completely sucks. This period-tracking app, however, had me wondering what other apps may be useful.
He got me an ipod touch for my birthday. While he may be the happiest person in our marriage, I’m certainly the appy-est. I’ve been downloading apps non-stop since I got this thing. I now use my phone as a wireless router and spend most of my time on the Touch. I did some research on marital apps, which I’d like to share.
I separated them into three groups — apps we’re already using, apps I’d like to try and apps that I thought were corny, but your mileage may vary. I’ll report back in a few weeks to let you know which ones are worth the download.
Already Using
This is good for everything from “honey-do” lists to photo sharing. It may not seem like it, but we’re careful what we put in the cloud (you have no idea). We are willing to share docs, photos, etc. on Evernote. It keeps us from drowning in Post-It notes. It also puts the “s” in syncing — phones, computers — we can access our info anywhere.
As noted above, Hannibal keeps track of my menstrual cycle. I don’t have to worry about it. It rocks! There are several apps like this for Blackberry, Android and iphone/ipod as well.
This is great for when we want to buy each other an awesome super expensive gift for really cheap. Check it out.
I actually use Mint.com to manage finances, but I thought I’d put this one here because it allows receipt photo capture. I hate receipts! I’m open to trying this one if only for that reason. I just have to make sure Mint doesn’t already offer it.
Hannibal says he uses this one to decide which thing to do/buy/say regarding me. It’s a simple heads/tails app, but it comes in super handy when you’re saving your actual flipping quarters for laundry day.
Trying These
This app includes a curriculum that teaches couples how to approach thousands of day-to-day situations — special needs children, infidelity, military spouses, putting children to sleep, saving for college, etc. I’ll let you know if it’s useful.
This one I thought was hilarious, but it seems like it’ll be really helpful. It makes an analogy between fixing a flat tire and solving an argument. Partners have to hand the iphone/ipod back and forth to do what the app says. It has received rave reviews. The therapist who developed it is considering creating a similar app for the workplace.
I don’t fully understand this one, but I’m curious enough to try it. Developed by the PAIRS Foundation, it guides users through a practical, five-step communication exercise.
I’m not so sure about this one. Unless someone has their cell phone growing out of their arm, I’m not sure recording an argument is possible. It’s pretty awkward to go, “Hey, could you curse me out again, so I can grab my ipod and record it?” Since we don’t even raise our voices at each other, we’ll probably end up using it to prove who said what. *shrug* It’s worth a shot.
I thought this one was pointless for a couple who texts each other all day. Hannibal thinks it could be useful for posterity and to view trends. It is essentially a social network between you and your mate only. The status updates are only for the two of you to view and use to treat the other better. For example, if she says, “I’m having a horrible day at work” he shows up after work and massages her feet and cooks dinner. I’m in.
Not Interested in These
This very corny app didn’t seem to offer more than a reminder on your partner’s phone that they are loved. In the words of Hannibal, “Meh.”
This app didn’t seem to do anything that my calendar and notes app couldn’t do. Feel free to check the demo. I’m one finger short of a high five, so I may be missing something.
Film Fridays: Rhythm Nation
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Author: Myshell Tabu
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