I haven’t seen Vera Bradley’s black diaper bags before, but they look great — lightweight, functional, professional. Zappos also has this in a number of bright, happy colors which I’m guessing would do a great job of hiding stains. The bags are $138 at Zappos; Vera Bradley has a few other options at the brand’s website. Vera Bradley Baby Bag
Anonymous says
Hi ladies, I’m about 7 weeks pregnant (this is my first one) and tonight my husband and I are going to dinner to celebrate the pregnancy. We haven’t really done anything to officially celebrate together since we have both been a little paranoid and worried about the health of the baby (I have a few close friends who recently experienced miscarriages so it has been on our mind). However, we’ve decided to push the fears aside and focus on the positive so I’m looking forward to tonight. Do you ladies have any suggestions as to specific topics we should discuss and/or questions we should ask each other? We’ve already talked about names and maternity/paternity leave but really not a lot beyond that.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions. :)
mascot says
I guess this question confuses me a bit. You’ve still got approximately 33 weeks before baby arrives. You don’t have to get everything planned tonight :) Just enjoy your night out and being excited. Maybe talk about favorite childhood memories, family traditions you want to have, what traits you hope the child has of yours. The hopes and dreams conversations. So much of parenting you won’t know what you need until you get there (discipline, sleep training, eating, etc)
KJ says
+1 Enjoy your life while you still can! Actually, maybe that would be a good topic of conversation: stuff to do before the baby gets here, like take a trip or trips, see a play, eat at all the good restaurants in your city, see live music, do a project around the house, etc.
Anon says
How about making a pre-baby bucket list? A list of fun stuff that will be not possible or more challenging to do when you have babies? e.g. spontanous mid-week dinner at adult restaurant
To avoid creating the idea that life as you know it will be over when the baby comes – maybe make a ‘post-baby bucket list’ – the things that you are excited to share with the baby – first trip to the zoo- first ice cream etc
On the miscarriage front – I had trouble embracing my first pregnancy because a number of close friends and family had miscarriages while I was pregnant. On my second pregnancy, I decide that I would fully embrace the experience and allow myself to bond with the baby. I decided that even if I only got a few weeks with the baby, I wanted to enjoy that time vs. lose the baby and also feel like I didn’t enjoy the little bit of time that i did have with the baby.
Anonymous says
(Original poster here) – Anon, I love that pre and post baby bucket list! That is exactly the type of thing I was hoping for. Something that was kind of a “game” that my hubby and I could do. LOVE IT! :) Thank you so much for that awesome idea.
Sadly I’ve had 3 close friends miscarry within the past few months, so fear has really been surrounding me and my husband. But we had a realization last night that God forbid if something did happen, it still wouldn’t take away the happiness and the awesomeness that is going on right now so we have decided to embrace it. So hopefully we can maintain that attitude like you did with your second pregnancy. :)
NP says
I use the Longchamp ‘le pliage’ backpack as my diaper bag. For me, it is the best thing ever. So durable, washable and doesn’t look like a diaper bag.
CPA Lady says
Washable? I’ve been curious about this! I have a couple of pliage totes that need to be washed but I’ve been afraid of messing them up. Do you machine wash yours? What setting? Do you dry it in the dryer too, or hang to dry?
NP says
I usually wipe it down with a baby wipe, but when really dirty I stick the bag in a pillow case and just throw it in the washing machine w/woolite (delicate cycle) and then hang to dry.
kid-based threadjack says
For those of you with older children, I need help with organization of Legos. Our house is being overtaken (and I LOVE it–I love legos) and I am looking for a new method of storage/organization. Currently, we’re using the cheap Sterilite drawers from Walmart and dividing by color/type. It’s easy, the kids can do it, and it makes cleanup a cinch. However, we’re considering moving all.the.legos from my oldest son’s (6) room to the playroom, and I would like a bit of a better/nicer looking storage system. We are probably going to construct or purchase a 6- or 12- cube horizontal storage shelf, but I don’t want to just dump all the legos into a 12x12x12 cube–I’d like to keep them separated if we can.
Does anyone have any ideas/seen anything similar/useful??
Anon says
I would do something like this
http://seldik.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Elegant-Bedroom-Storage-Ideas-With-Rattan-Basket-At-Kids-Playroom.jpg
Melissa says
I am considering getting a few of these. http://swoopbags.com/
My kids don’t really like to have them all sorted, so this may work better for us than a ton of different tubs. Maybe several of the smaller versions would work for you?
mascot says
The rabbit hole that is pinterest might have some solutions. Could you do the clear shoeboxes, label them with colors, and stack them in the cubbies? Or can you get drawers on wheels that can just roll into a closet?
Meg Murry says
My kids also just use the Sterile drawers for now, but if you wanted to sort into smaller drawers, my mom has a set of drawers meant for holding scrapbooking paper (12×12) – they might fit inside a 12×12 cube. Or something like this: http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10027354&N=&Ntt=paper+storage .
Lego also makes official storage products, so try their website, Toys R Us or Target.
hoola hoopa says
I like clear scrapbooking boxes for craft supplies, so this seems like a great solution for me. I buy the clear plastic ones at Michaels (sometimes sold at Costco for a great price) that somewhat snap together when stacked. http://www.michaels.com/-iris-scrapbook-case/10373070.html Disadvantage is that the rim and latch stick out a bit and so they don’t quite fit in a 12×12 spot.
The Sterilite Stack and Carry is also one of my absolute favorite storage boxes. We’re close to outgrowing our large box of lego storage and I plan to use this next. We use it for barbies. The dolls go on one level, clothes on 2 levels, shoes and accessories on a fourth level. They snap securely together. Depending on the size of your collection, it may be too small.
Depending on temperament, I highly recommend sorting basic blocks by color and then having a separate box(es) for ‘special’ pieces and figurines.
hoola hoopa says
oooh. I like the binder for manuals.
Meg Murry says
Oh, and my kids also just use gladware type disposable Tupperware when they get a new Lego kit and want to keep all the pieces together, until they get tired of making the project from the instructions and start mixing all the pieces together to make their own creations. It works for now.
dreamBlue says
My SIL has this baby bag and loves it because it’s fairly innocuous and her husband can carry it without it screaming BABY BAG.