The Friday Five (Things I Love This Week)

Welcome to The Friday Five (Things I Love This Week)! You know, I’m enjoying writing this feature, because it turns out that I love many, many things. And as Nolan gets older and wiser he and I will keep discovering more things to love, and my hope is that in 14 years, right when he’s on the cusp of puberty, I can write about things that appeal to teenage boys. And then shit will get real weird. But for now….

The Friday Five, (non-creepy baby version)!

 1. Peekaboo Books

Never, ever, have I found a page turner like Baby Says Peekaboo! I mean that literally. You turn those pages back and forth and back and forth thousands of times, and each time it is completely surprising to your baby when he finds that there is another baby hidden behind the flap!

I’m not gonna lie, I find myself getting strangely surprised and excited as well. Repetitively yelling PEEKABOO! must create some sort of cataclysmic force deep within you, and when the pressure is released via your yell the relief is so great that after the fact you mistakenly think you enjoyed the experience. Anyway, babies f*cking LOVE this book. Nolan “reads” it like 50 times a day. Never gets old.

You might notice that the left-hand corners are gnawed off, as if by a tiny animal. That is the hallmark of a literary masterpiece. Don’t bother reading books that have not been chewed on. Total waste of time.

Nolan is showing off his book skills and pretending that a squirrel snuck into his nursery and chewed the book. He did NOT want baby Carys to know the truth about those teeth marks.

 2. Jessica Rapisarda at Welcome to the Bundle

I may have a non-sexual internet girl crush on Jessica. She is super funny and clever. She has a son she calls Pork Chop yet harbors a strong feeling of disgust toward ham. My Grandpa was called Pork Chop and I too share this disgust of ham. It’s just so PINK!

I also like that Jessica didn’t threaten a restraining order on me when I tried to meet up with her in person upon finding myself in her vicinity during a road trip. Plus she’s been nothing but pleasant, helpful, and totally awesome in all of our encounters. She’s been featured on Scary Mommy and Mamapedia, and she writes like it’s her job! (which, it kind of is, actually).

Pretty much everything Jessica posts I read and am all “Mmmhmmm, Amen!” Love this girl. Check her out and follow her on Facebook. And then back off because I found her first and want to be her new best friend.

If you want a post to start with, check this one out:  The One Word You Can’t Yell in a Crowded Park.

3. ERGObaby Back Carry Position

If you have a portly baby like I do, and if you haven’t been religiously attending CrossFit, you may want to consider the back-carry option. It’s helpful for the lapsed athletes among us.

I LOVE this carry! I’ve always fancied myself as a sort of adventurer, and in my mind’s eye adventurers are usually wearing backpacks or carrying satchels filled with their exploring tools. Now, I don’t have any tools, not even a Swiss Army knife, but I can still throw my baby into a backpack and pretend we’re on a trek through the Himalayas instead of on our way to get coffee.

Although Nolan seems very relaxed in this pose, I think it’s better when your baby’s head is not dangling back like this.

If you’re anything like me, you may be a little intimidated about how to get your baby into the carrier on your back, especially without assistance. As all good adventurers do, I consulted YouTube for help on tackling this matter, and found this video to be the most useful:

It takes a little practice, but I found that a braver balls-to-the-walls approach for getting Nolan situated worked better than a tentative approach. I would recommend standing over a bed with your baby at first though, because even with a “can-do” attitude you don’t literally want your baby’s balls hitting any walls because you swung him onto your back too aggressively. You feel me?

While I’m specifically loving this back-carry position, I also love the ERGObaby carrier in general (I really started loving it once Nolan was about 4 months old and had a little heft on him). It’s durable, soft, has a pocket for your keys, phone, and compass.

4. Boon Snack Ball

This Boon Snack Ball has been one of my best new finds. The orange top just swivels to the side, revealing whatever delicious treats you’ve decided to shove into in for your kid. I lean toward Cheerios, but you can try a pot roast or lamb shank if you have the ambition. Really, it’s best suited to dry finger-food type snacks, which also makes it an excellent rattle. I suppose you could also use it as a pill box, it’s really quite versatile.

Not your average blue ball.

5. IKEA

Nothing makes me want to roll around on entirely white furniture and become a Swedish citizen like IKEA. Sometimes I think that I want some color in my life, and maybe a little cozy sloppiness, and then I think of IKEA and remember that I don’t want that at all, what I want is pure, functional, rigid order. I want Sweden and all of their meatballs.

I visited IKEA this week just to browse, and of course to eat in their cafeteria. I was not disappointed on any count. The whole place is just so shiny!

This may be news to nobody but me, but IKEA now has all of these fake little houses set up in the store, specifying the square footage (always tiny) and welcoming you inside. Like “Welcome to my 472 Square Foot Home!” Why thank you, Hobbit! I think I will step inside your tiny little home and see what miracles IKEA can pull off with their shelving systems. I was entranced to find myself wandering through a 362 foot dwelling that was somehow able to pack in a bathroom, bedroom, home office, kitchen, living room and tennis court. Amazing! And nothing that you can’t achieve in your own home with the help of some exceedingly tall storage units and a willingness to have your oven next to your bathtub.

And that concludes The Friday Five. Throw your baby on your back and head out to enjoy the weekend. As they say at IKEA, the world is your meatball.