Friday, January 8, 2016

7 Quick Takes about Trashy Obsessions, the Day Our Garage Blew Up, and Gloves to Get Excited About

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday!

—1


Ordinarily, it wouldn't be noteworthy that our kitchen trash can broke and needed to be replaced. But did you know that you can spend over $200 on a fancy one that opens by motion sensor? On. Your. Garbage.

That blew my mind as I was shopping around Amazon. We ended up going with this no frills-simple model, probably influenced by this honest customer review:

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}

"You step on the pedal and the freakin' top opens!! It's cray cray. Not sure what this sorcery is, but I love it..."

Sometimes I love the Internet so much.

2


However, we didn't realize it was slightly taller and the lid would smash into the counter above every time it opened. We had to go back to the drawing board.

This week I've spent more hours online researching than it takes to transplant a kidney, except instead of saving lives I'm poring over reviews for garbage cans to see how tall they are with the lid open. Some thoughts I had during the process:

  • I'm so glad I went to college. What a stellar use of my education.
  • It's a freaking trash can! WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG?!
  • That's it, we're just nailing a black garbage bag to the wall. The end.
  • If old me went back in time and told young me she'd someday spend a whole day obsessing over garbage cans, one of us would've gotten slapped and the other one would've cried.
  • Seriously, my bachelor's degree is basically paying for itself today.

Anyway, I read the whole Internet and ended up finding exactly two that could work for us. So if you have questions about any trash can in existence, I can answer them. I've seen all the reviews.

3


I often have the thought that my life is like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. We want to finish our basement, which means we have to clear out the things we have stored down here, which means we have to move most of it into the loft above our garage, which means we need to build a proper set of stairs to get up there.

To build the stairs, we needed to take down all the bikes hanging in the garage (which the kids promptly threw all their crap on top of) and now it looks like this:

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}
May not be readily apparent how this is a step toward a finished basement.

The stairs are coming along nicely, though.

4


The kids have been occupying themselves outside a lot, even though the snow is just an inch of hardened white crust on the ground.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}
Can't build a snowman or have a snowball fight, but they can fly across the ice on sleds.

In retrospect, I'm glad we never ended up having the money to level our yard to make it look respectable, because the kids' favorite sledding hill is everywhere on our property.

5


The year I got an ice scraper has long been my favorite Christmas gift memory, but I think it's finally been replaced by this year's gift: USB-powered gloves.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}
Enjoy the painted nails. It happens about once every 3 years, and my 4-year-old wanted us to match.

I plug them into my computer and glorious warmth flows into them. I realize that leaving them plugged in and burning the house down is a remote possibility, but in my opinion it's well worth the risk.

6


We don't have TV, but my preschooler recently discovered she can watch kids' shows on our iPad using Amazon Prime.

One day she gave her dad and I a group hug and said, “I feel like I'm in a herv!”

“A herv?” we asked. “What's a herv?”

“I don't know,” she shrugged. “Like in Dinosaur Train.”

She meant 'herd.' I'm not so sure educational TV is working for us.

7


Last of all, I'm not a sports fan. But I might be if it were as entertaining as this:


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11 comments:

Marina @ Parental Journey said...

I feel like I am in a "herv" sometimes too :D

Lyndsay said...

I quote 'If you give a mouse a cookie' frequently... Because it is basically the mouse rendition of a mother's daily life.
Just a side note. The mouse has his own show and it's on amazon prime video. ;) You're welcome.

Rachel said...

Wow, I had no idea that trash cans had reviews online...or that it was possible to buy them online...
The only trash cans in Malaysia are less than knee-high, which actually isn't as annoying as one might think because you have to take out the garbage really frequently anyways due to the high heat and humidity inside the house (smell) and the ants/bugs/critters since the homes aren't sealed from the outside very well (i.e. we have window with no glass or screens, just metal bars. Metal bars don't keep lizards and insects out very well...

Jenny Evans (sister, not author) said...

Where did you get those gloves?! I need them for work, my hands are always freezing while I sit at my desk.

Queen Mom Jen said...

I had no idea such gloves existed. I have really been missing out. We might need a new trashcan this year I now know who to call :)

Anonymous said...

I.must.have.those.gloves!!!! Would solve my "can't answer my phone in the cold, cuz of my gloves" problem!!

Anonymous said...

Hoo boy, the old mind is a going fast. It took me 3 tries to solve the puzzles to post my comment!!! Someone send a brain transplant!!

Jenny Evans said...

I mentioned this to someone who said she always ends If You Give a Cat a Cupcake with "And that's why mommies are always tired, the end."

Jenny Evans said...

I love all your interesting insights, Rachel! You broaden my horizons.

Jenny Evans said...

I know they have a few pairs on Amazon although I can't say for sure mine came from there since I didn't see them. It's a subtle warmth but I really like it.

Jenny Evans said...

I highly recommend it. They're my favorite possession now.