Tag: llama

Llama llama, MORE BOOKS MAMA!

Published on by Darlene Dee3 Comments

Dude. I can tell myself over and over that Babystar has ENOUGH STUFF, and I am totally right. But I keep buying her books.

She loves books. She ‘reads’ her books to herself and her friends. (Her friends are stuffed animals.) She reads her books to Tillie the Kitten, who seems oddly into it. She brings her books everywhere and will ask anyone to read to her. Her books ward away toddler meltdowns. Her books are fucking magic.

(Yes, I know about libraries. I love the library. I also know that if my kid likes to lick her books, other kids probably do also. I mean, duh, licking books is SO LIT. So we don’t check out board books or ‘beginning reader’ books from the library. We do check out story books from the library, but those are read TO her by an adult under highly supervised situations.)

Last week, I bought a six-pack of ‘Learn-to-Read’ Little Critter books at Costco for $9.99. We already love Little Critter, and the kid needs practice on NOT RIPPING PAGES of non-board books. At less than two dollars per book, this seems like a nice price point for practice. And — bonus! — maybe she will in fact learn to read.

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Then on Saturday, we bought two new board books from the last of the big box brick and mortar bookstores, Barnes & Noble, for $16.98. We also joined their Kid’s Club, which is totally free! (Their adult version is $25 so free is awesome.) You get $5 off for each cool hundred that you drop in their store (books totally add up quickly tho) and the kids get a free cupcake on their birthday from the cafe. And they probably email you some coupons and stuff, I’m assuming. Since they asked for my email address. Or maybe they just want to sell it to make some money to pay the rent since everyone buys books on Amazon these days. (Which I totally get because I could have saved $3.08 buying them on Amazon. But I like to touch books and I miss bookstores.) Either way, I’m kind of cool with it.

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MAMAS AND PAPAS AND ANYONE WHO HANGS OUT WITH THE LITTLES: How old was your kids when you started checking out library books? And do you prefer Amazon’s prices and convenience or the magical experience of actual bookstores? (I like a good combo platter myself.)

RAISING BABYSTAR: $19,577.70

Cousin Tony Had a Farm.

Published on by Darlene DeeLeave a comment

Ee eye ee eye oh.

Last week Babystar and I went to western Pennsylvania to visit family. I drove the minivan with my brother and his adorable fam along for the ride. They were super good at entertaining the baby while I drove. Thank goodness, because that baby takes after mama and HATES a long car ride. But we love our family. So there we were.

We had a blast. There isn’t much in western Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Erie besides farms and lakes, and we played at both. Babystar loved running around near the corn fields. And soybean fields. And llama fields. She did NOT like anyone touching her except me or anyone under the age of four. We ate together, slept together, swam together, and played together.

Skipping showers is all fun and games until you cuddle with a goat.

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I would have made the trip even if Babystar did not exist in this world, so the gas and tolls are on me. I do have $36.65 worth of food and merchandise to add to her bottom line, though.

  • Nuetrogena Baby Sunscreen – $10.99 (this stuff rocks!!)
  • Some cheap Giant Eagle brand of disposable diapers – $5.69
  • Gerber Fruit and Veggie melts – $3.00
  • Floaty thing that she immediately hated and I didn’t even bring home – $3.00
  • Floaty things for her two cousins so they wouldn’t feel left out – $6.00
  • Shovel and pail that she ignored – $3.00
  • Sbarro pepperoni pizza slice on the drive home – $4.97

 

RAISING BABYSTAR: $11,707.74