February 24, 2012

this and that

::  I'm having another one of those weeks where I'm feeling incredibly behind.  I just can't make myself get on top of my to-do list.  Gah.  I'll catch up eventually, right?

::  Last week Laura asked if I would share about how we got Ryann to sleep through the night.  The short answer?  The Ferber method.  I know that isn't everyone's cup of tea, but we were at a point where both Ryann and I were crying at every nap and bedtime.  And I was up for a good 2-3 hours during the night rocking her because she couldn't sleep without me, but she couldn't sleep with me either.  You can read more about our sleep training attempts here, here and here.

::  My plan to weed out photos on my computer hasn't exactly been going well.  I keep forgetting to do it, and, um, just adding more pictures.  I think there are somewhere close to 53,000 photos in my iphoto library now.  And my computer can barely function because of it.  I really need to fix that situation...

::  Speaking of photos... random ones from a nice day last week.

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::  I was randomly browsing Land of Nod the other day and came across this bed.  Too bad it doesn't match Ryann's room, I love the color and the style.  So cute!

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::  Grammy and Papa are getting Ryann a play kitchen for her birthday.  This one to be exact (unless someone has seen that one in person and it is horrible or something, please let me know if you have!).  So I'm trying to find some play cooking utensils to get her, but I'm having a hard time finding anything I love.  I don't want primary colors or junky plastic.  She has the Green Toys tea set, so I was considering the matching dishes and cookwear.  But ultimately I'd prefer something neutral.  I was all excited about this set by Plan Toys, but the reviews said the metal dented easily.  Boo.  Any suggestions?  What are your favorite play kitchen products?

::  I've actually got three or so recipes with photos that I need to share, but I haven't wanted to load the pictures on my computer, because I'm scared it won't function.  Fail.

::  I should go attempt to be productive...

13 comments:

Ashley said...

Ooh that little kitchen is adorable!

Anonymous said...

I've been secretly following you're blog for a few weeks now! I am a new blogger plus a new mom. I'm having struggles with my almost 10 month old and napping. He refuses to nap & i'm at my wits end. I don't know what to do. I thought 10 months old were still suppose to take 2 naps a day. I keep wondering if maybe i'm just doing something wrong. I've tried rocking, letting him cry it out, and giving him a bottle. Nothing is working now. Any suggestions? I know you mentioned the ferber method but anything for napping?

C said...

When my daughter got a toy kitchen for Christmas, we purchased a metal pot and pan set from PB kids. Here's the link: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/metal-pots-pans-set/

They take a lot of abuse and have held up great so far.

Molly Meis said...

Ashley! Did you learn nothing in college?! Get yourself an external hard drive (you'll probably need a pretty big one) and put all your photos on there! Then, get yourself another one and back everything up again. If there is one thing i've learned since graduation, its to always back up your back up. Photos can't be replaced or re created so take care of soon before its too late! Also, look into online hosting, maybe?

Ashley said...

Oh come now Molly, of course I learned something! :) Ha ha I do have an external that is backed up by time machine. I guess I'm not sure how to just have my photos on an external... yes, I am indeed an idiot sometimes.

Ashley said...

Valerie- We used the Ferber method for naps and night time. Ryann has to self soothe or she pretty much can't sleep. It takes some time, but after about 10 days of using the Ferber method Ryann was going to sleep at naptime and bedtime by herself and STAYING ASLEEP. I highly suggest reading Ferber's book, as well as Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. Both books really gave me some insight on children and sleeping.

Jessica J. said...

I don't have kids but my mom is the thrifting queen and has taught me you can by anything second-hand. I'd suggest looking at a few thrift stores for "real" kitchen utensils or small pots and making those for playtime.

Super cute kitchen by the way, she'll be one lucky little girl!

Anonymous said...

We got that same play kitchen in red for my daughter for Christmas. She's almost 2, and it's the perfect size for her. It is smaller scale than other play kitchens, but we can always put taller legs on it as she grows (if she even cares!). We have been very happy with the baking set and pots/pans we picked up at Ikea, they were a great price too.

Kelly said...

That kitchen is SO cute! We love our Melissa & Doug food sets. C plays with them for hours!

Sandy said...

I would second the vote for Ikea kitchen goodies! Drop me an email if you need a good Samaritan to send you a little care package as their shipping is quite ridiculous!

Kandice said...

Hi Ashley! I've been a follower of your blog for some time though this is the first time I'm posting. I love all the adorable photos of Ryann! About the kitchen utensils, we got the Ikea cookware and utensil set for my 13 month old, and not only does she love them (they look just like the ones I cook with), but they've held up really well to being thrown all over the place and banged around. If you can get them, I highly recommend them.

Jen said...

Hi Ashley! Long time follower of your blog. My daughter Grace is two weeks younger than Ryann. We bought her the kidkraft kitchen for Christmas and she loves it! Perfect size. We also bought the kidkraft pastel cookware. Very cute and cleans easily. We also really like all of the Melissa and Doug play food. Ryann will love the kitchen! I look forward to seeing the pictures from her party! :)

Lovely Little Nest said...

oooh I love that bed! will be pinning that for future use! :)