I got the idea from this post from Gawker, although I took some liberties and opted not to write about gifts, things I've written about already, or stuff that's just too boring to bother with (sometime there just isn't a whole lot to say about a turkey baster.)
I bought these for Thanksgiving because I didn't want to unpack all the wine glasses, wash them, use them, and then wash them again (also, our wine glasses are very top heavy and I felt like we were guaranteed to lose at least two or three of them that night.) Plus, with these I could add the classy touch of writing people's initials on them with Sharpie. I actually thought these were great: I didn't have to assemble them, unlike other plastic wine flutes, they were sturdy, and they held a decent amount of wine. I'd buy them again.
Our new house has three stories and no fire escape (unlike our last place.) I hope we never have to use these, obviously. I also hope that by purchasing them we have actively prevented a fire from ever occurring. So anyway, hard to review. But I'm glad we have them.
These are great. The colors are cute, they stack up well, and they're microwave/dishwasher safe. I don't know why anybody bothers making or selling children's plates that are not.
I was clearly not very green this Thanksgiving but it sure made my life easier. If I had it in me I probably would have actually washed and reused these plates, as they were that nice. I'd hesitate to say I'd use them again because I hate admitting that I was or ever would be that wasteful again but if you don't care about the environment, these are awesome.
Gold party cups:
My final Thanksgiving earth-ruining purchase. I got them in gold to match my Thanksgiving stuff but I'm glad we have a lot left over. I like pretending that they're the "fancy" version of red Solo cups. For playing beer pong with a king.
Still Life with Bread Crumbs, by Anna Quindlen: 
My friend Jen Lancaster recommended I buy this as research for the novel I'm working on, and I think it provided helpful background, but more importantly, it was an enjoyable read. I'd recommend it as a vacation or light-ish read (I read it on my writing retreat.) Iron:
My OB's office informed me that I'm anemic so I need to take this stuff. I have no complaints I guess (I haven't gotten an update on whether my anemia has gone away.) I do like that of the various pills I take, these are the smallest. Flirting With Forever, by Gwyn Cready
I interviewed Cready at work and prepared by reading some of her books, which are time-travel romance. This is not a genre I've ever read, and while I don't think I'll be reading a ton of romance in the future, this was one of my favorite assignments I've gotten this year, since Cready is whip-smart, no-b.s. and is a good and clever writer. So if you do like paranormal romance, I'd recommend Cready for sure. Coffeemaker: 
We have been like Goldilocks with coffeemakers lately. This one started leaking all over the place. This one literally broke apart in our hands. This most recent one somehow takes a full carafe of water and turns it into a half pot of coffee. We ordered some special descaling material to see if maybe that can solve the problem. As a side note, I wish I didn't like drinking coffee so much. Melissa and Doug School Bus Set:
I wish I could explain why, because then I'd be much better at predicting which toys my son will like, but this bus set is one of Paul's all-time favorite toys. He is crazy about it. Something about taking the people out and putting them back in just puts him in his happy place. Here is a video of him playing with the toy and singing to himself while he was alone with it earlier this year. So this one was worth it times a hundred. Basketball hoop:
On the flip side, this was not the hit I thought it would be. Toddler Paul loved putting things in things: stuff in drawers, toys in boxes, etc, so I figured this would be a slam dunk (yes, I went there.) He liked it and continues to like it okay but it did not provide the hours of entertainment that I hoped it would. 1-2-3 Magic:
In fairness to Paul, he is a pretty good toddler. He has his bad days, like any of us, but I wanted to be prepared for them when they do come. I saw this book recommended on another blog and checked it out. I have only read about half of it but I like the author's POV that toddlers are not like tiny adults who understand cause and effect and other people's feelings. I don't think Paul quite gets the "1-2-3" portion of this but we've used the time out system a few times and it seems to work. He always pops out of time out but the main portion of it involves ignoring him until it's over and it really seems to work (sometimes we have to do it more than once.) Also, it may be mean of me to say, but there is something really satisfying about pointedly ignoring a whining, yelling, clinging toddler. So unless the second half of the book advocates wanton physical abuse or something and I haven't gotten there yet, I'd recommend it. Kiddie float:
My friends Lauren and Moe have an awesome heated pool and an embarrassment of liquor. I'm not about to let my doesn't-know-how-to-swim-yet child cramp my style. Paul tolerated floating around in this thing pretty well a few times this summer and looked cute doing it. Whale buckle toy:
Lauren and Moe's pool happens to be located in Valparaiso, IN, so it's a bit of a schlep. I bought this for Paul to keep him entertained on one of our trips out there, figuring that if he liked playing with the buckles on his high chair so much, he'd like this. I was mostly right, but the toy backfired when I realized that he can buckle but not unbuckle, and that it's not very convenient to have your 2-year-old begging you to unbuckle his toy while you're driving 70 MPH down I-80. Four-slice toaster: 
Steve wondered if we were flying too close to the sun by purchasing a luxury item such as this but the first day that we made two pieces of toast for each of us at the same time, he agreed that it was worth it. Would buy again. 36-count bag of Skinny Pop popcorn:
Earlier this year we hosted a Funny Ha-Ha that featured the films of Steve Delahoyde, and I served popcorn. I love Skinny Pop and apparently everybody else does too. I accidentally left my extra bags of popcorn at the Hideout and when I returned to fetch them, they had mysteriously disappeared. Swim cap:
This year I joined a gym with a pool and for awhile took up swimming. I'd like to get back to it in 2015, once I buy an iPod shuffle and waterproof case, because nothing can really counteract the tedium of swimming laps. This swim cap is fine. It doesn't pull my hair out when I take it off. It doesn't make swimming more exciting, however. Waterproof books:
Paul had a cute Sandra Boynton bathtime book that we all enjoyed but it went away when it started getting moldy. These were not as popular with either Paul or us, partially because we discovered that they re-use the exact same images throughout them, so unless you really like that blonde-haired boy you see on the bottom right corner, they're not very inspiring. Headphones:
I've experimented with a lot of different types of headphones when I run and I like these wraparound types the most because ear buds tend to slip out of my gross, sweaty ears. These are fine. I don't make long term commitments to headphones. They live and then they die and then you move on and get new ones. Potty, by Leslie Patricelli
Paul started potty training lite this year and we got this book to help him out. All three of us adore this book: it's funny and cute and not gross. Paul likes reading it to us and it's pretty cute to hear his tiny voice say "I can try!" Our favorite part is that at the end of the book, the little boy gets undies and there's a whole page of different types of undies. Paul calls the Superman ones "Daddy undies." Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard:
We went to Anguilla this year and that was around the time that we started working on having another baby, so I wanted to use a bug guard with Picardin, which was what my OB recommended I use the last time I was pregnant. I like these wipes even if you're not pregnant; they smell nice, are easy to apply, seem to work well, and don't leave you feeling as sticky as other bug spray does. Sleep Well, Little Bear, by Quint Buchholz:
Earlier this year I babysat my friend Kelly's daughter Willa and we read this at bedtime. Maybe because it's originally German, but there was something about it that was mysterious and quiet and sweet that isn't in most of Paul's bedtime books. The illustrations are gorgeous and it reminds me of something I would have read when I was a little girl. It's out of print now but still acquirable. Definite recommend.
