Hodgepodge

Today has been a little bit stressful, and for no good reason. Just one of those days when the little things - and I mean little - add up. Elise wouldn't take a nap; the printer wouldn't work; the broiler pan drippings were so baked on that I got an aerobic workout just by scrubbing it, and it's still not clean. Stuff like that. But then I left to run some errands, and the little things began to add up to a pleasant, peaceful sum. Elise happily read her books in the car and didn't fuss once; I passed Andy on my way out, so I knew he would be home to greet me when I returned; I made a pitcher of iced tea (yes, I know it's February. I really, really like iced tea.); the weather was beautiful today; and when I got home, there was an issue of Martha Stewart Living waiting for me. So it is turning out to be a good day after all.

Speaking of Martha Stewart Living, I had decided sometime during the holidays that I wouldn't buy any more magazines. My only exception was maybe a quilting magazine, if it had patterns that I would actually use. And the quilting magazine that I like only comes out quarterly. I am a sucker for magazines, truly a marketer's dream. So I just decided I wouldn't buy any more. About a week later, I received gift subscriptions to three magazines. :) It was such a treat - here I had decided not to spend money on them anymore, and all of a sudden three of them show up in my mailbox every month. Pretty cool, huh? Now I just have to be careful that the glossy pictures don't seduce me into spending money on things I don't need. I once heard that the more television you watch and the more magazines you read, the more money you spend. The TV thing seemed intuitive, but I was surprised by the magazine correlation. It's the same advertising principle as television, I know, but I was still surprised.

Speaking of spending money, if you are in the mood for doing so (how's that for resolve?), you should check out this site. It's Goodwill - online. Apparently the Goodwill stores take things that they consider to be especially desirable, valuable, or collectible, and they sell those things in an online auction. The beauty of it is that the employees who are posting the items are not necessarily experts in antiques or collectibles, so you can frequently find things for well under their retail value. The only things I have purchased are a few Charlie Brown books, but it's fun to browse. I personally like looking for teacups and quilts. Yeah, I know.

For all you moms in the Seattle area, I was recently introduced to a great place. The Child's Play Cafe in downtown Bellevue. Fantastic. A little pricey to frequent, but really a great place for a break every now and then. I went yesterday with some friends and their children. There is a charge per hour per child. They have a large, supervised play area for children over 18 months (although they're not entirely strict on that - Elise went, and she is not quite 18 months), and several smaller, unsupervised play areas for all ages. They have a decent menu for adults - mostly light lunch fare such as salads, sandwiches, and quiche - as well as a great kids menu. You can purchase individual snacks for your child - Goldfish, string cheese, etc. - or a toddlers platter or big kids platter. Both include finger foods. They also have a full espresso bar. You place your order at the counter, and they bring the food to you. They keep a running tab for you and you just pay for everything when you leave. There is a complimentary Cheerios dispenser - nice touch! The restroom is fully stocked with all sizes of diapers, wet wipes, Desitin, bandages, etc. I was a little nervous about leaving Elise in the play area at first, because she wouldn't be able to see us where we were sitting, but she walked right in and never even looked back at me. She had a blast. The young woman in charge of the play area caught my eye almost every time I looked that way and let me know that everything was okay (she must be accustomed to nervous parents), and she flagged me down when Elise needed a diaper change. Anyway, the whole gist of the place is that moms (or dads, although there weren't any there yesterday) can relax, have a latte, read a book while their kids play in a safe environment. It is a great idea, I think.

So, there's my post for today. Nothing in particular. I'm going to go drink some iced tea now.