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Family
Brushes with Death at Buy Buy Baby
Posted on Mar 31, 2008 4:25:30 PM  |  By KristinVanOgtrop

Yesterday Husband, Baby and I went to Buy Buy Baby, the store I hate to love, to get some padded corners for a few sharp places in our house — specifically, two edges on the banquette in the kitchen and a quite scary tiled spot in the master bath that Husband and I variously call “the danger zone” and “the stitches corner.” As fate would have it, Husband, Baby and I encountered several dangerous situations ourselves in the short time we were there. In chronological order: THE HOW NOT TO KILL YOUR CHILD SECTION Otherwise known as the “safety” section,...

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Observations
Why I Should Be the Governor of New York...
Posted on Mar 26, 2008 2:00:59 PM  |  By KristinVanOgtrop

...And you probably should be too. Why? Because we should all have so much free time. For anyone who hasn't been under a rock for the last two weeks, in New York we have entered a disturbing new phase of state history that you might call the era of Governors With Too Much Time on Their Hands, Apparently. Between Eliot Spitzer travelling around to have sex with prostitutes and now David Paterson having all sorts of extra-marital affairs, you just have to ask: don't these guys have anything else to do? Let's pause for a brief look at the things...

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Family
You've Got to Hear It to Believe It
Posted on Mar 24, 2008 2:49:54 PM  |  By KristinVanOgtrop

We gave Baby a CD of lullaby versions of Rolling Stones songs over the weekend. Just listen to this one. This is either a crime against modern cultural history, a bad dream, or a genius way to get your one-year-old to appreciate good music. I’m just not sure which. "Paint It Black," The Rolling Stones

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Family
What Do You Get the One-Year-Old Who Has Everything?
Posted on Mar 21, 2008 12:04:57 PM  |  By KristinVanOgtrop

Today is Baby's birthday, which makes me recall a comment some wise woman posted on this blog about having children: the days are long and the years are short. Amen to that. Two minutes ago I was in labor with Baby and now suddenly you can ask him what a kitty cat says, and he meows. Anyway, I'm on my way back from L.A. and can't wait to give him and his big brothers a kiss. I picked up a few things for him on my trip, some little stuff for his birthday and Easter basket (my favorite: a lullaby...

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Observations
The Hotel Germathon
Posted on Mar 19, 2008 1:15:00 PM  |  By KristinVanOgtrop

I'm in LA for three days of meetings about the Real Simple TV show coming on TLC later this year. One of the great things about traveling for work is that I get to stay in Very Fancy Hotels where the front desk says, "Hello, Ms. van Ogtrop" when you call it on the phone. Or something close, given the pronunciation complexities of my last name. Anyway, I'm typing this at an ungodly hour (still on NY time), lying in my VF Hotel bed and trying not to touch the comforter. Why? Because a few months back I read an...

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Observations
Words/Phrases You Avoid Using Because You’re Not Really Sure How They’re Pronounced
Posted on Mar 17, 2008 11:24:20 AM  |  By KristinVanOgtrop

Imprimatur Provenance Eminence gris Aegis Raison d’etre Beef bourguignonne Limn Moussaka

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Observations
My Book Group, Then and Now
Posted on Mar 14, 2008 9:59:35 AM  |  By SimplyStatedAdmin

I have been in the same book group for the past decade. It's a small group, nine women, and although a couple of people have come and gone over the years, the core has stayed the same. Our last meeting was Wednesday, and I was the host. The book was No Country for Old Men and I made Deer Valley chili (cheating, for sure, but so delicious), salad, bread, and two kinds of pie for dessert . I have a pair of vintage children's cowboy boots that I used as part of a centerpiece by putting a mint julep cup...

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The Renovation
3 Months After the Renovation: All Cake, No Icing
Posted on Mar 12, 2008 10:46:41 AM  |  By KristinVanOgtrop

As some of you know, we spent a good portion of 2007 (and a good portion of our money) on a kitchen renovation. The result was nothing short of transcendent, and we moved back into the space in December. Already we've hosted family and friends, cooked meals both easy and complicated, and haven't broken anything yet. We haven't even stained the marble counters that both the contractor and kitchen designer advised me and my messy family in no uncertain terms not to get. Then again, it's only been three months, and a person can only drink so much red wine...

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Observations
17 Pieces of Women's Magazine Advice I Never Want to Read Again for as Long as I Live
Posted on Mar 7, 2008 10:54:19 AM  |  By KristinVanOgtrop

Put grapes in the freezer and eat them whenever you want candy; they're just as good. Give up buying coffee at Starbuck's and you'll save hundreds of dollars per year. If you can't do 30 minutes of cardio per day, try adding up your little daily activities, like vacuuming. If you are overcommitted, just start saying no. Take an afternoon nap. Even twenty minutes can make a big difference. Cut up vegetables on Sunday and put them in your fridge for the week; then you will reach for them instead of potato chips when you feel like snacking. Don't go...

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Family
Good Mother or Bad Mother? You Be the Judge
Posted on Mar 5, 2008 12:54:49 PM  |  By KristinVanOgtrop

The scene: Yesterday, 3:45 p.m., the oral surgeon's office. The cast: Eldest, his squirming mother, two technicians and the oral surgeon The action: Eldest, ever the stalwart child, is calmly having 4 teeth removed, two babies and two adults. Apparently he has very big teeth ("dinosaur teeth," as one of the technicians so delicately put it) and a small jaw; the teeth have no place to go, fight for space, making braces all but impossible without a visit to the surgeon. The problem: I have asked Eldest if he wants me in the room during the extraction; he says yes....

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