Toddler Problems: Short Onesies

Well, I guess it's more of a mommy problem since my toddler could care less about what he wears. But given that my little guy has consistently been taller than average at all his check-ups, I should have foreseen the problem of him basically outgrowing onesies/snap shirts before hitting what looks to be the maximum age sizing guide (24 months) that most children's brands carry for onesies.

I randomly picked up what looked to be a VERY generously sized shortall/romper/layettes/whatever they are called by Polo/Ralph Lauren at a resale shop and was pleasantly surprised just how large it was at even the 24 month size. Most of our 24 month Carter's snap shirts/onesies are starting to look a bit tight and I wasn't quite ready to give-up on snap shirts/onesies yet. After all, they keep my toddler's belly/back covered, keep his pants contained when he feels the urge to de-pants himself in a fit of boredom, and, for the rompers at least, make diaper changes more convenient for me since I'm not removing shorts. Thus, I looked online to try to find if there were any brands that ran large/long and basically came across discussion of snap extenders and mentions of Old Navy.

Since the fit on the Ralph Lauren rompers was so roomy, I decided to order a few to see if their sizing was pretty consistent. After several orders, I came to realize that what they call their "mesh shortfall" has the roomiest (stretchiest) fit and that 24 months is noticeably larger than their 18 month size. Material really makes a big difference as their thicker cotton just doesn't stretch as much -- same for any madras-style cotton rompers.

Old Navy rompers does seem to be bigger than Carter's but the Ralph Lauren 24 months appear to be the longest (and widest).

How to Make a Hands-Free Pumping Bra

Sorry for the inexcusable neglect of my blog to all you non-existent readers! As many of you know, pregnancy in itself is an interesting adventure, some of which I hope to document in the near future -- ironically as my li'l adventure is about to end! Anyone who has had to prepare for the arrival of a baby knows how incredibly expensive it can get. Yes, yes, you will hear people say, "But all a baby REALLY needs are clothes, food, and diapers." The truly sappy will end that sentence with "and LOVE." Yes, that's true if you plan on going about childrearing in a truly barebones fashion, but who are we kidding? Kids are expensive for most folks!

In the spirit of saving money -- well, technically spending less than I ought to -- I've turned to many DIY projects. Sure, some of them probably were more expensive to produce on my own, but given the time value of my labor (market value = $0), I'm sure most of my little DIY projects came out ahead on the benefit:cost ratio.

So, without further ado, I present, "How to Make a Hands-Free Pumping Bra"
Actually, before we begin: This is not the totally lazy/poor man's version of how to make a pumping bra. For that, consult other blogs where the instructions basically are to cut a vertical slit into the bra. My DIY tutorial is a little more involved and hopefully will produce a more durable bra.

Supplies:
- cheap sports bras
comment: I found mine at Wal-Mart for a pack of 2 for about $9 and some change. They are VERY stretchy, so though I do not know what size I WILL be once my milk comes in (fingers crossed!), I went with my best estimate given my current chest/band size, factored in some post-partum weight loss (wishful thinking?), and ensured that these babies would stretch.
- sewing machine and thread
comment: I have a Brother CS-6000i.
 - miscellaneous: a sheet of paper, some cardboard, scissors, and a ruler/protractor

 Instructions:

1) Try on the sports bra and mark off where your milk-producing "spouts" will be in said bra. I used a Sharpie pen (for a lighter colored bra) and some Ivory bar soap (for a darker colored bra). To give myself more room, I also tried the sports bra on over a t-shirt and bra since I don't have an accurate measure of my future bust size. Here's mine (before):

2) Make a stencil. If you know what the diameter of your pump's flange will be, then use that. I went with the default on my pump (Medela In Style), which is 24mm. This is approximately 1 inch in diameter if you don't have any numbers of your own to use. When debating between two numbers, I would probably choose the smaller number provided your sports bra is super stretchy. (Mine were 95% nylon and 5% spandex.) Trace the outer edge of your flange (only the stem of the part that actually suctions to your breast) onto a piece of cardboard.

3) Trace the stencil over bra (or fill it in), centered on the nipple marks. This is pretty self-explanatory.

4) Pin some paper under the areas that you will sew. This will help the garment to not get "eaten" into the machine by the feed dogs, which I leave on, as well as to give you something firmer to grip to move around while you sew.

 5) Use a an overcast stitch* for stretchy fabrics. I also changed my needle to a ballpoint needle for this task. I used a 3-point zig-zag stitch (stitch #8 on my machine with 1.0 stitch length and 2.0 stitch width and tension at 4) and went around the marked circle two times with a few reinforcement stitches at the end. I know it's hard to sew in a round, so when in doubt, make the circle tighter/smaller than you think you should or if you can't see your stencil marks clearly. The material is incredibly forgiving and will stretch once you wear it, so ensure a better fit by not making the holes too large. And don't worry if it's not perfectly circular either. Carefully rip off the paper backing. (If your stitches seem too loose without the paper, increase your tension and try again. If this step makes you nervous, I suppose you can just wash the bra with the paper and allow the washing machine to dissolve it off.)

6) Use a small, sharp pair of scissors to cut out the fabric inside the circular seam. Be careful not to cut into any of the stitches you just made!

 7) You're done! Now you have a very handy (not terribly shabby looking in my opinion) hands-free pumping bra for only about $5 -- many of which I've seen retail for about $25 or more -- OR you have yourself a very...uh..interesting...and non-functional bra...for...uh....recreational purposes. Here's mine (after) with the pump part shown on the right:

* Disclaimer: I do not profess to be a master crafter, sewer, etc., so give me some leeway in my recommendations, please. :)

Trader Joe's - Trader Kim?

Well, anyone who knows me in real life knows that I love Trader Joe's. Let me elaborate: I don't just love Trader Joe's, I LOVE Trader Joe's (TJs). I've actually made decisions where to live based on the proximity to Trader Joe's and, furthermore, currently use the presence/absence/density of TJs locations to define a state's acceptability for habitation. TJs addict roll call? *sheepish hand raising*

Now anyone who's shopped at TJs knows that, in addition to the economically priced staples (e.g., tomato sauce, breads, cheeses, wines), one of the most appealing aspects of shopping there is that every now and then you'll encounter a product that you wouldn't ever expect to see at a "normal" grocery store, and sometimes even a product you wouldn't anticipate being made for human consumption. It's probably pathetic to liken grocery shopping with opening up Christmas presents, but I'll go there: shopping at TJs is fun because you get (pleasant) surprises more often than not.

The flip-side of this culinary creativity is that if there is an item that you like, there is a chance that it may be discontinued. Or, if there is an item that you try and hate, there's a good chance that will go away in a matter of time. (Fortunately, TJs will allow you to return anything that you're not satisfied with. And trust me when I say that it's not just lip service: I've returned a partly consumed bag of oranges. They were dry, OK? ) We'll liken these items to the garish holiday sweaters that nobody but your sartorially insane aunt thought would be a good idea.

One of the more recent discoveries, which unfortunately appears to be a holiday (drats!) item, was Speculoos cookie spread. Now our European brethren are probably rolling their eyes at the banality of this discovery, but for us Americans, Speculoos is everything that peanut butter should be. However, this post isn't about the wonders of Speculoos, so I'll move right along to my main point: Trader Joe's, making Korean food accessible to the masses.

TJs routinely and whimsically plays on "Trader Joe's" branding with "Trader Jose," "Trader Giotto," and the like. I guess it's only a matter of time there'd be a "Trader Kim." OK, so they're not actually re-branding these items under "Trader Kim" but a girl can always imagine, right?

I noticed that it started small. First it was the Korean-style marinated galbi. Then it was the Korean-style chicken wings (a bit salty). Later it was the snack-pack of dried seaweed. Then came the instant coffee and now....drumroll please....dried Jeju Mandarin Oranges and Kimchi Fried Rice!

So, why do I love these products?



These mandarin orange slices are AWESOME. I've actually been to the island where these mandarin oranges grow but did not have the opportunity to sample any fruit. I guess the growing season is indeed short. I'm not universally a fan of dried fruit. For instance, I love dried apricots, peaches, plums (yes, PRUNES), but I hate dried bananas, coconut, and other random fruit. You would think that if you liked fruit x in its natural form, that you would appreciate it dried. Not always true. Normally I like oranges but won't really bother with mandarin oranges or clementines or other fruits that I deem too much work. My brother, on the other hand, will kill an entire box of Cuties on his own. Somehow we are related. However, despite my normal aversion to small citrus, I really love the dried mandarin oranges because it's all the flavor and acidity of the fruit with no mess and no fuss. No wet, sticky fingers coated in orange oil. Plus, unlike other fruits (I'm pointing at you, bananas), I really think dried mandarins maintain their essence -- google Aristotle if you'd like to go on a very long philosophical tangent. It also doesn't hurt that these mandarins are simply just that with nothing else, like added sugars or drying agents, detracting from it.

The only downside of this product is that it is fairly expensive. It's nearly $4 USD for what seems to weigh as much as a hamster's backpack. Use your imagination. :P

I only hope TJs continues to carry this product for a while. I've been lucky as of late. The only product that I really missed for a long while was the Thai curry tuna, which they eventually brought back after finding a new tuna supplier. Sorry, tunas, but why are you so tasty?

As for the fried rice, it is really flavorful, authentic, and relatively inexpensive ($2-$3 for 14 oz.) for the work involved in making fried rice. Yes, making fried rice in itself is not expensive, but my biggest dilemma is always that I can never limit myself to buying this teeny tiny jar of kimchi, which is never enough to make anything worthwhile, so I end up getting the LARGE jar, which then means that hubby and I are eating kimchi at every meal, every day for a solid week. (No, there don't appear to be any 2-person family appropriately sized jars of kimchi.) I'll just say that while kimchi is great for....umm...the digestive system, it can get monotonous pretty quickly. This way you can get a quick, flavorful meal without being married to your giant, stinky jar of kimchi for days on end.

Other products that I love include the Parisian macarons (the vanilla ones are divine!), the mango soy ice cream, par baked Ciabatta bread (wish all breads came par baked), Thai curry tuna, spicy Jalapeno chicken sausage (no pork casing!), and a variety of other things.

TJs, you complete me.

Make-Up Organization

I'm not usually one to purchase or even wear a lot of make-up, but after hoarding...ahem...collecting make-up for the wedding (DIY), I now have an unruly collection housed, well, overflowing to be more accurate in a tacky whimsical turquoise Caboodle from the late 1980s. While the Caboodle is actually pretty sturdy, I seem to have lost the two trays for it over the years.

Look at that clutter!
Oy vey!

In typical me fashion, I hit Google full force looking for options. Aside from the train cases that stores like Sephora and Ulta sell -- many of which have mixed reviews or just aren't large enough -- and the uber-expensive (and unwieldingly large) cases that pros use, I came across the option of using a tackle box as a make-up case. Ingenius! (If you're so inclined, Caboodles STILL exist.) After more Googling, I still wasn't sure which type or brand of tackle box would work best for me.

After some investigative research at the local sporting goods store (note: don't even bother with Target since their camping section stinks), it appears that there are 2 common brands of tackle boxes on the market: Flambeau and Plano.

Contender 1: Plano "Magnum Hip Roof Six Tray"

Note the 2 drink holders on the top. Claaaaaassssy. Flambeau has a similar/nearly identical model, which also has 6 trays (3 on each side) that articulate out (through a cantilever). I haven't determined if they are exactly identical and hope to report back on that later. I saw the Flambeau version for around $20-some dollars and the Plano one (at Dick's Sporting Goods) was a little bit more.

Contender 2: Plano "1374 / 4-By Rack"

Apologies for the hazy/fuzzy photos; these are from my phone. The 4-drawer tackle box has 4 enclosed "drawers" that pull out in addition to a few compartments, one built into the top of the lid and another more spacious/functional one underneath the lid. This one was a little more (something in the low $30s) than the previous tackle box.

Thoughts on Each Design

6 Tray Tackle Box

Originally, I put all my make-up in the 6-tray tackle box to 1) see if everything fit. (It did.) 2) give it a trial run. The best part of this design is that you can store an amazing amount of stuff in a small amount of space. This is useful for day-to-day use and cramped living/storage quarters, I think, since you can simply swing the arms out to reveal all your make-up but quickly store it back into what amounts to well under 2 cubic feet of space. I managed to store larger eyeshadow palettes in the base compartment (read: bottom of the tackle box), but I had a few of these and taking out the one that I want could be slightly annoying since they were stacked a few deep. The tackle compartments in the trays were actually decently sized. Most of them worked with the items I had, though I wish that they had made a few larger compartments (the larger compartments that you see on the left/white trays). This could have been a great organizer had it not been for a couple of things. Perhaps my make-up is too heavy -- I suspect it is not -- but the articulating arms kept popping out of the joints/supports, making the trays fall over to the side. One side was particularly bad. Maybe the one I bought was a dud but I do think it could have been better constructed. The arms themselves are made of plastic with plastic connectors that swivel around in a plastic housing. While I realize this may be a nice feature for actual fishermen and fisherwomen and the salty waters they may encounter, this makes for a less durable make-up case. I'm planning on checking out if the Flambeau version is similarly constructed, and if it is (and appears to suffer from the same fatal flaw), I'll be giving this a pass.

4-By Drawer Tackle Box

Since the 6-tray system failed spectacularly (the droopy trays just looked oppressed by my make-up), I ended up storing my make-up in the 4-drawer tackle box. It offers plenty of "clean" storage but at what I consider a cost of convenience. What I mean by "clean" is that it looks pretty elegant. Well, elegant for a tackle box anyway. If I didn't know what Plano was and saw one of these contraptions, I'd probably ask, "Hey, where'd you get that interesting organizer?"

Each of the drawers is made of transparent plastic and so it's easy to tell what items are contained where. However, despite the ample amount of storage, it's a bit annoying to use since you need to slide out the drawer you want, open said drawer, use whatever it is you wanted, and then lock the drawer and slide it back into the tackle box. Yes, this doesn't sound that annoying but it sort of is if you're used to just grabbing something and putting it back with minimal hassle. Depending on how you organize and apply your make-up, you could end up with 4 of these large plastic containers surrounding you.

The drawers also each come with 2 compartments that are already sectioned off within the drawer and plastic organizers that you can break-off to create smaller compartments. While this is a nice feature, I sort of wish that the entirety of the space could have been customized by the user.

Summary

My ideal solution would probably be a sturdier, and dare I foolishly hope for prettier, 6-tray tackle box, but since this doesn't appear to exist, I've settled for the 4-drawer system. Both offer a lot of storage: 6-trays and 4-drawers might be more than enough for what the average person owns. (What can I say? I have accumulation tendencies.) So I don't think that space will be an issue. The price difference is pretty negligible as well. I think the biggest quality that will lead to a preference for one over the other is whether you value convenience (and efficient space consumption) over sleekness.

The Wonder of Dr. Bronner's Sal's Suds

I've never liked the color white. It probably has something to do with the fact that I grew up with well water, which would eventually transform everything white to a lovely shade of beige, and thus my mom would never buy anything white. It also partly owes to this creepy guy I knew, who used to bother me endlessly and who used to wear white often. And I don't mean a white t-shirt or white pants but an entire white ensemble. Creepy.

Since those well water days are long gone, I've gradually come to appreciate the crisp, clean color of white. The only thing I dislike, however, is the extra TLC that such a color requires. I grew up thinking bleach + white fabric = white(r) fabric but came to realize after a bit of Googling that fabric care isn't all this simple.

It wasn't until a good friend of mine came to visit and accidentally squirted her liquid foundation onto my white duvet cover that I realized that my "laundry truisms" were somewhat outdated.

I washed (and dried) the duvet several times -- with regular detergent, detergent and bleach, oxygen bleach and detergent. But sure enough after every wash and dry, the persistent flesh-colored spots remained unperturbed. I had basically given up the idea of removing the spots because surely, I thought, I'd given it a good go and, to make matters worse, I'd probably set in the stain further with each dry.

I decided to give it one last ditch effort and squirted a bit of Dr. Bronner's Sal's Suds (SS) that I had recently purchased (for kitchen use!) on a spot and rubbed. Like a miracle, I saw the foundation lifting, fading, and sudsing away and with it my growing amazement. After a few direct applications of Sal's Suds followed by vigorous rubbing, the entire stain was gone. Hubby was surprised since he had attempted to remove the stain with some chemical solvents (basically dry-cleaning fluid/PERC) before I began my washing routine. Even with his industrial chemicals, the stains remained. I really wish I had taken some before and after photos, but I hadn't thought to document the process since I thought the duvet was done for.

After this revelation, I've been using Sal's Suds to pre-treat any oil spots that I'm prone to accumulating on my clothes -- a few spots I can credit to an unfortunate old man with poor chopstick/motor control sitting next to me. :\ Without SS I'd resort to taking my stained clothes to the dry cleaners'. Thanks SS for saving my clothes, my wallet, and for your many other uses (works great as a car wash, dish pre-soak, kitchen counter spray, etc)!

Dr. Bronner's Sal's Suds

• Great for oil removal (on clothes, dishes, etc.)
• Economical: a little goes a long way and, like other Dr. Bronner's products, it can be used for many applications
• Can be drying on hands, so I'd wear gloves for extended contact
• Ingredients are fairly pure and formulation is pretty simple. SLS may be a concern for some, but Dr. Bronner's asserts that SLS is safer/better than SLES. I think ultimately it comes down to whether you can trust Dr. Bronner's science and its sourcing and manufacturing processes.