Have a Beautiful Weekend.

Sorry you lost your ring! I bought a replacement ring really similar to the one you posted. It’s from an independent designer in Portland… http://favorjewelry.com/shop/slim-stacking-ring

I love it so much and always get compliments on it. I bought the $18 gold-filled version and love that if I lose it again, I don’t need to stress about replacing it.

That Costco story weirdly struck a chord with me. I feel as if traditionally female tasks are often trivialized, as in, “so easy your mom could do it!” But meal planning, budgeting and cooking are important and challenging skills that don’t come easy to my generation. Bravo to that author at the Kichn for respecting her mother’s expertise and sharing it with the rest of us!

I used paid parking to go tour a daycare for my three month old baby and it was raining. As I walked up to pay a man was there and was just getting his receipt. He handed me his paid receipt so I could put it in my car rather than standing there in the rain trying to find my card and pay while the baby was waiting for me. It was the sweetest thing and just what I needed at a time that was already highly emotional. There are so many good people out there that notice and care. Thanks for posting the parking ticket story.

That link on sharing is really interesting. I witnessed the Montessori approach when I visited one of their schools- my then 2 year old snatched a car off a child who was happily playing with it! A friend said her mum teaches 4 year olds and teaches them to say ‘can I have a turn when you’ve finished’. Since I’ve encouraged my child to say this, I’m always amazed how quickly the situation is resolved- as if the child giving up the toy realizes it’s on his terms and so does so.

first that peonies is my favorite second off I love your blog. Reading it is an inspiration for mine!! Check me out!

Sorry to hear about your wedding ring! The one you posted looks quite like my 2mm flat gold wedding band, which I love. It’s petite and lovely on it’s own, and stacks perfectly with my engagement ring. I would make sure it’s thick enough (as in its height), as I’ve heard of too thin rings breaking when worn daily. I got my ring (and my husband’s) from iweddingband, but there are some on Etsy I was eyeing also.

Hi Jo,

I read your blog quite often and I don’t usually post a comment but I felt compelled to write in response to your lost ring.

There was this couple that I either read or heard about. They were married for a while and then one day the wife lost her wedding ring. She felt awful about the loss. She knew she wanted to replace it but no ring could ever fully compensate for the one that was there on the day the wedding vows were exchanged. Then her husband had an idea. They would go to someone who could melt down his wedding ring, mix it with some additional gold/silver/precious metal, and from this molten metal two new rings were made. That way the couple each had a piece of ring from the day that they promised to spend the rest of their lives together.

So there’s an idea for you and your husband to consider.

Oh and have fun in Portland. It’s my hometown and there’s a lot of great people there. My advice: Don’t do Voodoo, it’s a tourist trap. Blue Star and Donut Queen are significantly better. Also, if you find yourself in NoPo, the part of the city that I hail from, drive across the St. Johns Bridge and check out King Burrito for some authentic Mexican cuisine. Oh and take the tram. The view is even cooler at night.

We just moved to Portland a month ago, and my husband will not stop quoting Portlandia. It’s pretty dead on.

Can you tear up the floorboard? I don’t understand. I want you to have your ring back! Ha

https://www.etsy.com/listing/120255531/solid-14k-gold-15mm-skinny-minnie-plain?ref=shop_home_active_15

If you decide you need a replacement band, this is the one I got from Etsy. It’s so delicate and fine that I can’t even feel it on my finger most of the time, but it’s 14k so it’s sturdy. Plus, you can hardly beat the price.

xo
B

I lost my wedding ring too! I think my beloved nanny stole it from a jewelry box in my closet the day construction workers were fixing our leaky pipe. I never questioned her but she quit soon after without good reason which makes me suspicious…and sad. I know how you feel, wedding rings are not everything but it made my left hand feel very empty long after. I still haven’t replaced it yet, hopefully one day when house is remodeled and kids don’t require as much money (will that day ever come?) :)

So sorry about your ring!

As for sharing, I completely agree. I don’t think it’s okay to force kids to share. They don’t understand it. Not only that, but I think not sharing teaches respect for others and patience and delayed gratification, etc. (for the kid who is “waiting” for the toy). “She had the toy first. She will play with it and then it’ll be your turn.” The child has to cope in a situation where they’re unhappy. Yeah, they might flip out because they want “it now!” but the sooner they learn to cope (in a healthy way) with uncomfortable situations, the better! Someone could say that (forced) sharing could accomplish the same things, but sharing is something that should come from the heart. . . a form of altruism, maybe?

Either way, thank you for sharing ;).

Oh, and am so impressed that you’ve been cutting Toby’s hair! My kids would never sit still for me!

That sexist interview video was great! And that video of a woman’s body changing during pregnancy is kind of terrifying!

Her Heartland Soul
http://herheartlandsoul.com

Damn. I should get organized and shop at Costco instead of ordering takeout 3+ times a week.

I hope your excitement (!!!) is a sneak announcement of a new baby! Babies for days!!!

I’m so sorry you lost your wedding ring, and I know you feel badly about it. I do like the ring you want as a replacement. A number of years ago, I lost a sapphire pendant my husband gave me for Mother’s Day. The day I lost it, the school parking lot was repaved, so that’s probably where it was. I called the jewelry company, but it was no longer available. However, I was able to purchase a similar pendant, but the original was prettier. I don’t wear pendants on delicate chains any more, and I prefer chains with lobster claw clasps. My husband lost his wedding band in our yard shortly after we were married, and we never found it. He is not a jewelry person, so we never replaced it.

I am a mom and I love Costco. I think it’s more of a suburban thing since you need good/pantry freezer space. The bags of greens are excellent! I love the prices on good butter, rotisserie chicken and my latest discovery – pesto! I have been putting pesto on everything.

Not just Moms love Costco my father in law (a widower) talks about it every visit! And I mean every
Sorry to hear about your ring, I once left my diamond engagement ring in next to a computer in a school classroom (damn lotion and dry hands). I cried all night about it – my husband won major points because his response was I think it will be there when you go back, but if it’s not it’s just a thing it’s not what matters . which was awesome but simultaneously made me feel worse for losing what this sweet man gave me – but miracle it was there when I finally got there the next day. Maybe it will magically rise in the floor board? But if not as my husband said it’s just a ring

I also had to replace my wedding band and we got it from Blanca Monros Gomez. Brooklyn based jeweler from Barcelona. I love her stuff and I think you might too!
http://blancamonrosgomez.com/

I liked the article on sharing. Julian (and soon Arthur) goes to a Montessori pre-school, so I’m familiar with the thinking. And I agree with it. It’s not always realistic to practice it in real life, but I am teaching my children that they don’t have to share everything. Of course that doesn’t mean that they can hoard all their toys to prevent their friends from playing, but it does mean that they don’t have to give something up if they are in the middle of playing. I always tell each brother that they have to wait for their turn, and they are pretty good at it. But if that turn never comes, I do intervene and encourage a turn for the kid who’s waiting.

I think it’s part of the current culture where parents are so eager to please and afraid of judgement, where sharing is over-encouraged almost more to appease the parents in attendance rather than keeping the peace between the kids.

Frauke
https://brooklynboysblog.wordpress.com

Enjoy your trip to Portland – which is sort of like the show, but not really. There are definitely Portlandia moments…..but the city is changing from its gritty past to a too shiny big building future and old Portlanders cite that show a bit….

I have some similarly aged kids if you want a PDX playdate!

That Costco mom was so adorable. Hailing 10 minutes from a Costco I now get it.