1. Ello’s new glass water bottle:
Last spring I blogged about my favorite new ($10!) glass water bottles from Ello, and then a horrible, awful thing happened.
One broke.
No…not the glass bottle part, as you might’ve thought – it was the cap!
I was so bummed to be short one precious water bottle that I quickly went back to Target to snag myself another one wrapped in its colorful silicone shell.
But they were sold out.
Over the next (notevenkiddinghere) six months, EVERY SINGLE TIME I walked into Target I looked at the empty shelf above the “Ello Glass Water Bottle” barcode, waiting for these damn things to be back in stock.
One day in April, they were!
Only, they’d had a little bit of a makeover. The new Ello glass water bottles (pictured above) now have a fun and convenient flip top lid (instead of a screw top) with a little woven loop for carrying.
Totally worth the wait, Ello – thank you!
The only crack in my Ello review is that they’re selling for $15 now, which is quite the hike from their original price, but still a great deal considering most glass water bottles flirt with a $30 price tag. I’ve also recently discovered (for anyone else suffering from Cracked Ello Lid Syndrome) that they sell replacement lids on Amazon! You can get the original lids HERE or the new flip top lids HERE. (Both lid styles fit either bottle.)
2. This Citrus Squeezer:
I attended my first freezer meals party last month, and while I’ve yet to taste-test most of the freezer meals I’ve prepared, I have to say one of my favorite take-aways from the night was discovering the citrus juicer tool! This handy little gadget squeezes the juice from half a lime or half a lemon much faster than you can do in a jar juicer, and much more efficiently than you can do by hand squeezing! You simply cut your citrus in half, place one half of the lemon or lime in the juicer (cut side facing the holes), squeeze, and you’re done – you’ve just juiced half a lemon or half a lime into your salad, pan, or recipe with one quick squeeze. I love this thing!
3. My new $5 ear buds!
A couple of years ago I blogged about my frustrations with wearing headphones – the damn things always fall out of my ears when I run! I thought I’d found the perfect solution with Yurbuds at the time, but I have to say – two years later there’s some love lost. They’re even starting to fall out of my ears when I run, and supposedly that’s not supposed to happen. Ever. For $20-30 a pop I’m not exactly keen on the idea of buying another pair. In all fairness, I think they were starting to fail me after 2 years because I sweat so damn much, but STILL! $20 for a tiny little piece of rubber?!
(You and I both know that kind of markup’s only worth it if it’s bar time and the drugstore’s closed.)
I thought I could do better.
I searched around Amazon and found these cute little Panasonic In-Ear Headphones for about $5 a pop – at that price I can afford to replace them if they don’t last me forever! They come in a variety of colors, and each pair comes with 3 sets of soft earpad attachments (small, medium and large) so you can be assured that one of them will fit comfortably – and stay put! – in your ear. I’ve been running with these for the past couple of weeks, and so far so good!
Showtime’s Homeland
G and I just started watching this series via Netflix, and we’re HOOKED! Claire Danes is phenomenal, that red-headed guy is seriously eff-ed up (okay, fine, she is too) and we cannot get enough of it. We just completed the first season, and it’s without question our favorite thing to watch right now!
What TV shows are you loving this spring?
5. This parenting infographic from The Child Whisperer (click to enlarge):
How to Raise a Happy, Successful, Cooperative Child, by The Child Whisperer
I have to confess – I know nothing about “The Child Whisperer” but I came across this infographic on Pinterest and it totally struck a chord. I’ve spent my entire life taking care of, and therefore trying to understand, children. My siblings, nieces and nephews, neighborhood kids whose parents needed a night out, full-time babysitting gigs in the summer, etc. When I went to college I devoured courses like Child Developmental Psychology, and after college this Criminal Justice Major spent the first decade (plus, and still going) of her career dedicated to helping children. Now I’m a mom, and I have the benefit of applying everything I’ve learned over 30 years of studying to my daughter.
All behavior has a function, and behavior is communication.
Those are the two biggest lesson I’ve learned so far when it comes to supporting children, and they’ve been proven true to me over and over again.
“What is the function of his or her behavior?”
“What do you think he or she is trying to communicate?”
These are the questions my colleagues and I debated daily during the five years I did direct care with children with significant mental health issues, and viewing child behavior through this lens is now so ingrained in me that I can read my daughter like a book.
This infographic is one of my “Things Loved” this month because in all my years of study and practice I’ve never seen my beliefs regarding child behavior broken down so clearly and succinctly. If you have a little one, I urge to click enough to enlarge this picture or visit the site, think about your child, and consider this process. I can’t guarantee understanding and implementing this will help you ward off all temper tantrums, but I can assure you that when they happen you’ll understand why, and that will help you parent through a lens of understanding and compassion versus coming from a place of frustration and helplessness.
My daughter is a combination of 2 and 4. What’s your child’s nature?
6. This Muse song:
It’s only fitting that this song is called “Madness” because I’m crazy about it!
What are some of your things loved so far this spring?
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I’ve been looking at glass water bottles ar Target for a few weeks. I might take the plunge now! I’m all about using the app “Out of Milk” – two shopping lists, hels budget and a great to-do list section!
I’ve yet to find a shopping list app that I really like – I’ll check that one out! Thanks Ashley!
Hi D! A few questions about the water bottle? Does it keep the water cold for a good length of time? And is the mouth wide enough to easily get ice cubes in? And finally, is the sleeve easy to get on and off when you want to throw it in the dishwasher? I’d love a new bottle but hesitant about the price tag!
Thank you also for the behavior chart. Plan to study it today in hopes of better understanding my 2 year old!
Thanks!
Deb
I’m not sure it keeps it any colder than a plastic water bottle, to be honest, but it’s definitely not worse. The mouth is nice and wide, which I love, so I have no problem filling it with ice. I actually keep the sleeve on when I put it in the dishwasher, but if you want to remove it it’s not hard. I hope that helps, and best wishes with your two year old!
Can’t find those ESO bottles in Idaho either! I did find a glass ESO water bottle at Target but it doesn’t have the rubber sleeve. I bought it for my desk but too scared to carry it around! Madison 1, Minneapolis/Boise 0.
I love the parenting advice – I’m so thankful to be surrounded by intelligent and empathetic friends. It breaks my heart so much when people constantly call their kids brats or rotten – when in reality those kids are just trying to tell you something (that you did wrong most likely).
And I guess Homeland will be our next series after Prison Break!
Well dammitall Minneapolis and Idaho Targets! I’ll snag one for you and ship it to you. It breaks my heart to see or hear about little ones tantrumming or having big behaviors. I just want to give them – and their parents! – a great big hug. Definitely check out Homeland next – it’s soooo good!! (There’s no Michael Scoffield, but it’s still worth the watch.)
I get so mad when people say, “Oh, are you being a brat?” My SIL does that to my 3 yr old and I politely respond with, “No, he’s just being 3.” Which is better than what I really want to say/do. Those are the people that I hope learn a few things before reproducing.
WHOA. That would enrage me to hear first-hand. Good for you for keeping your cool – I’m sure it must be hard! Let’s be honest – sometimes kids DO act like brats, but shame and blame is not the solution for turning that around. Kate absolutely has her moments, but she will NEVER hear me speak negatively about her (or to her!!) – talk about a self-esteem destroyer!
Hi Dusty,
A fellow community mental health worker here. Thank you for the behavior chart! I am pregnant right now with my first so I have many first hand examples of what not to do with a child. I totally agree that children are trying to tell us things without having the communication skills that we are used to as adults.
I have one of those citrus juicers and love using it to add lemon to my water.
Also, the hubby and I love homeland and can’t wait to watch season 2. Claire Danes is cray cray.
Thank you so much for the comment, Jessica! I don’t know you at all, but I feel like we must be kindred spirits. Congratulations on expecting your first!
That’s a pretty nifty looking water bottle that I just might have to buy now:)
Maude
You won’t be disappointed!
I adore your lists and look forward to them each month…I got a different water bottle you recommended, the plastic Intak one, and I adore it, and am looking for a new one, so, given you recommendation, I think I might just try the Ello one…
Also, thank you, thank you, thank you, SO much for the behavior chart! My four year old is a new big sister and lately she’s been attempting to talk to me along those lines and it just appears that she’s misbehaving…and I didn’t know what to do about it. She is a combination of a couple of the “types”, but I’ll give it a try and see what happens…
Hi Erica – so happy to hear you’ve enjoyed my recommendations! I love my Ello bottles and hope you do, too.
Good luck with your little girl!
OMG there is so much I love about this post. Where to start.
First off, earbuds fit SO few people’s ears. As an audiologist I often make custom-molded ones for my patients that are made to fit their ears specifically (something like this http://tinyurl.com/cj4qz3d, style 7,,, you put the normal ipod buds into it and or bluetooth for phone and you hear so well!
Secondly,, you should totally look into the child whispering and beauty profiling. Its amazing and it really helps you understand your nature and those of people who are important to you. Its pretty amazing how spot on it is
Thanks for your comment, Danielle! Custom-molded earbuds sound like perfection! I’ve never heard of the beauty profiling – sounds interesting. I’ll have to check it out!
I really like that behavior chart. As a first time mom, I have no idea what I’m doing. My daughter is a combo of 1 & 3, and my husband and I and both more of 2 &4 people. We have definitely had our struggles trying to understand her, and it is so nice to see it broken down like this. I’m glad you shared it!
Thank you, Antonette – and the best of wishes to you, your husband, and your daughter!