It has bikes all over it.  Well, from what I’ve read, gDiapers had a hard time selling this print back then and actually put this one on sale to move some inventory.  Fast forward three short years later and gmoms are getting crazy trying to get this diaper set.  If their prices are like they are now, the price would have been somewhere around $35; $15 for the shirt and $20 for the diaper.  Here’s a list of completed auctions on ebay in May for the same set or its pieces:

• $169.29 + $5.53 shipping for an Excellent Used Condition (EUC) shirt only
• $175.37 + $5.53 shipping for an EUC Large gCycle diaper only (btw, it looks a little faded to me)
• $121 + $5.53 shipping for an EUC  Medium gCycle diaper only
• $133.51 for a 12-18 month gCycle t-shirt
• $92 + $4.80 shipping for a faded, pilly Medium gCycle diaper only
• $132.50 + $5 for a brand new medium gcycle diaper
• $316.57 + $8 shipping for a used (slightly faded and pilly) gCycle set
• $150 + $4.80 for a Good Used Condition gCycle diaper
• $142 + $3 for an EUC Medium gCycle diaper
• $164.49 + $3 shipping for a 6-12 month gCycle shirt

Insane-o.  There was a shirt that was bid up to $132.50 but didn’t meet the reserve.  What on earth was this seller expecting to get???  Let me tell you why I think this is crazy…first, we’re talking about diapers here.  Diapers that babies POOP IN.  And buying these used means SOMEONE ELSE’S BABY POOPED IN THEM.  Why on earth would you pay that much for a diaper that someone else pooped in?

The other thing that I don’t get is that in the 15 days in May, there were ten listings that closed successfully.  So if that’s the case, are these really *that* rare?  Granted, a few months ago, it wasn’t like this.  I think the super duper high prices are encouraging people to sell these where they wouldn’t have otherwise.  If these are becoming more available, Econ 101 says that prices should come down.  But I don’t think they will.  Why won’t this bubble burst just like all the others (including tulips)?  Warning:  I’m going to be inflammatory with these remarks – it’s a rarity for me but I just can’t help myself.  Why?  Because bird brained moms who sadly feel their self worth heightened by stupid things like t-shirts and diapers will pay for them.  This will only go away when/if there’s a better product.

Now I can’t be a hypocrite.  I, too, get unreasonably excited by these diapers.  And I DID pine for a few when I first got started.  However, I would never EVER pay that much for a DIAPER.  I understand that there is a perceived value here.  I’m just struggling to understand what that value is.  Is it completing a collection of all g’s?  Maybe I can understand that.  Is it the thrill of the hunt?  These type of moms MUST feel buyers remorse.  OR is it more that the value is knowing that you have something that others desire?  Honestly, I think that’s what it is.  I know I shouldn’t care because, seriously, everyone has the right to spend their money how they see fit.  If someone really loves this print and wants it at all costs, I really shouldn’t judge.  And yet…

I guess based on what I see on the gdiapers boards, I get the feeling that some of these moms who hoard diapers and pay crazy amounts really can’t afford to be doing so.  I had one mom (who I know has a ridiculously large collection) contact me about a diaper I was selling and she said “but I won’t be able to pay you until Friday after I get paid.”  Now if you have to wait to get paid to pay for this, my guess is that you shouldn’t be making the diaper your priority.  It slays me when they so confidently say that they’ll be able to sell their $150 diapers for a profit.  It’s crazy that they *expect* to make money on gdiapers.  Let’s stop and think about that for a moment.  Have you EVER bought a piece of clothing with the hope that you’ll make money on it?  Have you ever even bought a piece of clothing with the thought that you might be able to recoup some of your costs?  Cloth diapers are weird that way.  Again, I shouldn’t judge but here I am.

So that’s the emotional WTF side of the argument.  On the other side, why not?  If there is so much demand for these diapers that people are willing to pay this much, then let consumerism and capitalism do their things.  What I find funny is that gMums accuse the company of withholding inventory on purpose.  That’s so ludicrous.  If they are confident that they can sell inventory, you bet they’re going to manufacture plenty to meet that demand.  I’m confident that it’s not them creating a mania.  It’s bird brains like me who can’t stop singing their praise.  And hell, they make a cute product.  Sigh.

Speaking of which, look at the new novelty prints they put out this week:

I actually didn’t care for the wave and thought the ruffle was a little busy when I saw them back in December but I’m picking up the ruffle for sure because I love seeing little ruffles on Miss K’s little bum.

This week is a little more hectic and we’ll be eating out more:

Sunday:  Indian food at my mom’s house.  It was mother’s day so I really should have made her dinner but we ate up there instead.

Monday:  Enchiladas, guacamole, and spinach salad

Tuesday:  Tofu nuggets & dipping sauce, brussel sprouts, and salad/fruit

Wednesday:  Hubby is out of town

Thursday:  Not sure but since we didn’t make quinoa bowls last week, I’ll throw it in here for kicks.  I say I’m going to make these all the time but it seems like I never do.  We’ll see what happens

Friday:  traveling, so we’ll be eating out

Saturday: traveling so we’ll be eating out

There were three main sit-down dining halls and each night, you are assigned one dining hall to attend at a set time.  One was called Triton (named after Ariel’s father from The Little Mermaid), a second called Parrot Cay, and a third called The Animator’s Palette.  Triton was the classiest with subtle colors and some sealife decor, Parrot Cay was a little more tropical with bird decorations and bright colors, and The Animator’s Palette was super fun with black and white domino design tables and chairs, checkered floors, paintings that changed from black and white to color, and paint brush wall accents that also changed colors.  Each night came with a different theme and you could pick from a number of appetizers, main courses, desserts, etc.  Our waiters were charged with serving 24 of us.  There was an assistant waiter (Jude from India) who was responsible for taking drink orders and bringing drinks, cleaning up the table and assisting the main waiter (Chat Chai from China).  It could not have been easy serving us but they did it.  All in all, the service was ok but the meals just seemed to drag on forever, partly because they’re course after course and partly because our guys couldn’t go any faster than they were.  The hard part is that with eight kids under the age of six, someone was always taking a little one out to walk around.  It was hard to enjoy a meal in peace.  But that’s to be expected.  I have to say that Jude was excellent with Miss K’s milk.  We noted on our cruise reservation that Miss K. had a milk allergy and he had a warm glass of soy milk ready for her at every meal.  Just the right temperature.  Because the meals took so long to come out, though, Miss K often filled herself on bread (we had to give her something to keep her busy!).

Disney was excellent with making sure that Miss K didn’t have dairy since we noted it.  Once at breakfast I had ordered an omlet with cheese and they checked three times with me to make sure it was ok for her eat.  Crazy.  Our friends also have a daughter who is lactose intolerant and the day care folks called them to make sure it was ok to have a cookie since there’s butter in it!

Our friends were interested in eating Indian food instead of the normal menu and the head waiter accommodated that.  Although the descriptions sounded excellent, I didn’t care for much of the food that was on the normal menu.  I’d say the indian food was better!  But this is typical for cruises.  The food is usually upscale in nature and in appearance but I just don’t think they can make it taste fantastic when they’re having to make so much food.

Anyway, the ship also had a couple buffets that were convenient for lunch or breakfast.  They weren’t as good as the ones we had on the Celebrity cruiseline, but they were fine.  The ship also had three quick-serve food joints near the pools – Pinocchio’s Pizza, Pluto’s something or other that served hot dogs, burgers, and fries, and Goofy’s something or other that served salads, sandwiches, fruit and healthier options.  Those places came in handy too.

One thing that was different on this cruise versus others is that the soda was included in the price of the cruise.  I think we only got Sprite once but considering other lines charge extra, thought that was nice.

The ship also had a fine dining restaurant on board called Palo.  It was an Italian restaurant and if you’re interested in eating there, you pay an extra $20 per person.  The food was definitely worth more than $20 per person.  I really enjoyed our meal.  I had a steak for dinner that was cooked perfectly, and I think polenta for an appetizer and then for dessert, the waiter brought out eight desserts for four us!  He was gung-ho on the chocolate souffle, which I thought was good – I just don’t love it.  But he insisted that we all get it.  In addition, he brought out a fancy shmancy tiramisu (which was ok), a DELICIOUS panna cotta, and two other desserts that were quite good.  I really liked it.  Our sister-in-law and her husband were gracious enough to watch the baby while we ate and then we watched their dumpling when they went.

What else?  Oh!  There’s also 24 hour room service.  We ordered sandwiches once and then got milk and some bread and fruit for Karina in the morning.  I’m telling you – there’s a lot of food!  Oh ya, each night at dinner, the kids also feasted on mickey mouse ice cream bars.  I have to say they were pretty rich – definitely not the chintzy ice cream bars we used to get at school!

I think the worst part about the food was that while on the boat, Miss K. got diarrhea.  It started the second to last day on the ship.  We don’t know if it was from food she had on the boat or if it was the food she had while we were on land or if it was something she put in her mouth that she shouldn’t have.  All we know is that she had diarrhea for over a week so we had her stool tested.  Four days later we found out that the poor baby had Shiga toxins caused by e. coli.  Her stomach had been cramping and we didn’t even know it.  Sure, she was cranky but she was also fighting a cold/flu.  She was miserable.  Luckily she seems to be much better now and no medication was in order.  It was just something she had to work through her system.  I don’t understand it though.  I ate pretty much everything she ate – she basically ate from my plate the entire trip.  I didn’t get sick but she did.  Anyway, I can’t blame the food on the ship necessarily but it may have been a cause.

Otherwise, the food was fun, if for no other reason than it was abundant and I didn’t have to cook it. 

We got to Los Angeles Port at around 11:00 on Sunday but there was a Coast Guard inspection that delayed our boarding time so we, along with hundreds of others, waited to board the ship.  We stood in line and took pictures with Mickey decked out in his sailing gear:

Mickey Mouse is quite the celebrity.  It was cool how you could actually get your pictures taken with the Disney icons, in comparison to what happens when you go to the park.  Because they’re so loved, they get mobbed at the park but on the ship, there are only a couple thousand people.  We were able to see/meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy (Karina danced with her!), Pluto, Goofy, Belle, and Snow White.  We also saw (from a distance) Peter Pan, Chip and Dale, and Tiana.  It was nice!

The trip started out with two sea days, including the formal night.  We all got gussied up and had a fancy meal out.  My sister-in-law and her husband graciously watched Karina while we had a nice meal at the upscale restaurant.  There was a lot to do onboard – the kids areas were more extensive than we’ve seen on other ships – they had at least four kids (no parents) areas for kids of varying ages.  There were also three pools and a splash area for toddlers.  Karina loved the splash zone but since she’s not potty trained, she wasn’t allowed in the kids or family pools.  They also had an adults only pool.

The rooms themselves were fine.  We liked that there was a curtain separating an area where there was a pack n play for Karina to sleep in from our bed.  That allowed us to put her down for the night and shut the curtain so she didn’t see us.  The other thing I liked about the room was that there was a separate toilet and shower room, each with a sink and mirror.  It allowed both hubby and I to use the facilities at the same time.  One of our travel companions had a horrific time with their toilet.  Apparently someone somewhere in our hall had backed up the plumbing and our friends unfortunately ended up with a flooded bathroom twice.  The second time they moved to another room.  What a pain!

I will say that I was impressed with Disney’s attention to cleanliness.  Despite the number of children on the ship, I don’t recall seeing trash on the floor or even fingerprints on the windows.  It was VERY clean.  And our stateroom attendant did a great job.  It’s easy to end up with a mess when you’re in such a small space but he kept us clean!

What else?  Disney is magical.  Not only is their attention to detail phenomenal (even the plastic glasses had mickey symbols on them!), but people are happy when at their venues.  I saw so many children with wonderous looks in their eyes, mommas holding and hugging their babies, and Daddies proudly taking pictures of their beautiful families.  It was really nice.  The characters were incredibly friendly and did a great job.  Snow white always stood with her hands just so and even giggled like the Snow White cartoon.  Just amazing.

The only service breakdown that I felt we had was the front desk/guest services staff.  They weren’t rude, but they weren’t terribly helpful or friendly either.  For example, my husband put in a request several weeks in advance for an extension cord.  We were assured we would have one.  We got to the room and it wasn’t there.  So he went down to ask for one and was told “you should have requested one in advance.”  Uhh…we did.  And then he asked where to plug it in (we moved the bed and looked for an outlet and there wasn’t one.  The response was “there’s nothing magical about this extension cord.”  Otherwise the staff we encountered was great, always acknowledging our baby, trying to make her smile, and calling her princess.

All in all, we liked the boat!  Tomorrow I’ll talk about the food and then will follow that up with a post about the ports.

Step one of getting back on track is eating our meals at home again.  So here’s the plan:

Sunday:  Chili, Corn Bread & Fruit – made a big batch of chili and topped it with some fresh avocados.  Some we ate, some we’re eating for lunch, and some we’ll freeze for a future dinner.  We picked up some strawberries and they were a tasty post-dinner treat.

Monday:  Flash Blasted Broccoli and Feta Pasta.  This will help clear out some ingredients that I’d like to use up and will keep us away from greasy foods that will irritate my husband’s throat as he recovers.  I like that the ingredients include both broccoli and spinach (and red pepper flakes and sun dried tomatoes – yum)

Tuesday:  Chole, Rice and Chicken – got this pre-made meal from Trader Joes and need to use it!  If I’m feeling inspired, maybe I’ll make some raita and get some papad to go with it. 

Wednesday: Asian Kale Noodles with Tofu (trying to use up both kale and tofu!)

Thursday:  Vegetable Quiche 

Friday:  Quinoa Bowls – Going to use dry black beans for this and bust open our new bag of quinoa.  Can’t believe we blew through a whole four pound bag!  Yay us!

Saturday:  Either left-overs if there are any OR go out.

Wish me luck!

All you need to make them exactly like mine is:

1 package of double stuff Oreos
1 bag of Oreo Minis
1 tube of red frosting
1 small tube of white frosting
1 small package or bottle of red sanding sugar poured onto a small plate
Wax or parchment paper lined cookie sheet

This will yield about 32 Mickeys.  Here are the steps:

1.  Using a butter knife, pull apart the mini oreos and scrape off the white filling.  You will be tempted to eat that filling.  Resist.  You’ll thank me later.

2.  Gently insert two of the minis into the filling of each Double Stuff Oreo to create “ears.”  They should be about 1/2 an inch apart.  As you can see in the picture above, your Double Stuff Oreos will break.  Just be careful with them and try to be as gentle as possible.

3.  Spread red frosting on the lower 40% of the Double Stuff Oreo.  By lower I mean the side that doesn’t have the ears.  You can do this by squeezing the frosting into a bowl and using a butter knife or by melting the frosting a bit in a small bowl and dipping the oreo into the bowl.

3. Dip the frosted portion of the Oreo into the red sanding sugar and place it onto the cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper.

4.  Using the white frosting, place two white dots on the red portion of each cookie

5.  Place in the refrigerator to set frosting for 2 hours or more.

While the cookies did evoke some questions from my husband (“Wait. I don’t get it.  I get the ears but what’s the red part?”  “They’re pants.”  “Why are his pants on his face?”), I just wanted to make a treat for our friends and their little ones that would kick off our trip with something fun.  I KNOW they don’t make sense exactly.  But they remind me of Mickey Mouse and they taste good. So I made some and put them in some small decorative Chinese take out boxes.  Done and done.

Some suggested modifications:
1.  Skip the sanding sugar
2.  Skip the white dots
3.  Skip the red frosting all together and just make mouse heads
4.  Insert a lollipop stick and bag them in cellophane bags tied with a cute ribbon

I’ve been taking Miss K. to the park to play for about nine months now.  Basically once she starting sitting up steadily, I started taking her regularly and I’d put her in the swing and slide her down the slide.  Now that she’s walking, she goes everywhere.  And so does the sand, unfortunately.

Despite the countless hours I’ve spent there, I’m still pretty awkward.  I don’t know how to act when my baby goes over and plays with someone else’s toys.  I usually just say “That’s not ours, baby” and the mom will say it’s ok for us to play with.  When that happens, I let her play.  But she’s really friendly and will sometimes plop right down next to another child and just reach over and play with the toys they’re playing with.  She doesn’t take toys out of other kids’ hands but they often look at her like “WTF?”  I don’t know what’s appropriate at her age.  I want her to explore and to be friendly but I don’t want her to be one of those kids who’s constantly grabbing stuff away from others.  Part of it’s just human nature to want stuff that others have.  I don’t know.  I also find myself apologizing for her when she’s just being a baby – she’s curious and wants to touch new things and new people. Do I stop her from touching other kids?  She once stuck her hand in someone else’s goldfish bag.  Luckily I knew the mom and she said it was fine but she just moves so fast.

The other thing I’m awkward about is talking to other moms.  Sometimes it’s super easy – I’m not really a shy person but sometimes it feels forced or obligatory to say hello to other parents (which isn’t a problem for me) but I find that I almost feel obligated to ask how old their little one is and tell their parents how cute their kid is.  I don’t know what to say.

I also don’t know how much to follow Karina around.  She still doesn’t really pay attention to where she’s going and once walked off the top of the slide.  Luckily she dropped to her bottom quickly and slid into the sand (didn’t even cry although I just about did!).  She also is still interested in eating sand so I feel like I have to hover over her.  I want her to be independent and explore but then these things happen that I’m not comfortable with.  And if she’s playing, i want to let her play in peace.  But it’s easy to grab my phone and play a game or whatever (whatever being facebook, btw).  I don’t want to be that parent so i when I catch myself, I try to put away the phone and just sit and watch her.

I’m also not sure what’s ok with other people’s kids.  I love children so I want to talk to them.  But they’re taught stranger danger so I’m not trying to traumatize them or scare their parents.  Usually I smile at them and if they talk to me, I talk to them but don’t have much of a conversation.  Sometimes I see kids wandering off where they shouldn’t go.  Usually my initial instinct is to call out to them or go get them but I try to let their parent know instead.

I don’t know why I feel so awkward at the park but I do.

Grody Gross-Out #1:  As Miss K and I are eating lunch, I feed her a piece of pasta with veggies.  She sneezes…her veggies…and her pasta…all over me…As I wipe myself off, I see her  sneeze again.  This time since her mouth is now empty and cannot spew objects, snot comes out of her nose and before I can get to it, rolls into her mouth.  What can I do?

Grody Gross-Out #2:  Miss K. wakes up chipper and happy.  I change her wet diaper and go to put it away in the bathroom.  While I pee, Miss K comes into the bathroom, looks at me, looks away off into a distant gaze and suddenly the bathroom smells much worse than it did before she arrived.  I go change her diaper (second time in seriously three minutes) and discover a ball of poop the size of a racketball inside her diaper.  How is this even possible?

Grody Gross-out #3: I’ve been trying to get Miss K. comfortable with the potty so occasionally I sit her down on it and grunt to help communicate what gets done on the potty.  It’s an elimination communication thing.  Since she’s full of mischief, I have to keep the door open while I pee so I can keep an eye on her.  The other day while I was peeing, she saunters in, looks me in the eye and starts grunting.  Apparently she’s the one telling me what to do on the potty.  I usurp her authority and just pee.

Grody Gross-Out #4:  Miss K. loves oatmeal so I make it for her a few times each week for breakfast.  Sometimes while she’s eating, she likes to sing and make noise.  Sometimes, somehow, her hands end up in her mouth as she sings.  Well, she did this with her mouth full of oatmeal.  Then she went on to rub her ears, eyes, and try to pull out her pigtails.  Awesome.  Oatmeal everywhere.

Grody Gross-Out #5:  Miss K. throws scrambled eggs on the floor and sometimes shoves them under her thigh in her booster seat.  Gross.

Grody Gross-Out #6: When Miss K. eats blueberries, her poo is purple.

Grody Gross-Out #7: Miss K tries to put her hand in the toilet bowl.  She’s gotten close to splashing in the water and touching poop.

Grody Gross-Out #8:  Miss K licked a chair at the pediatrician’s office.

Grody Gross-Out #9: Miss K puts sand in her mouth.  She practiced using a spoon with a shovel.

Grody Gross-Out #10:  Miss K put her tongue on the handle of a shopping cart…that’s been touched by countless dirty-handed people.

Raising a toddler is dirty dirty business, I tell ya.  Please note that I’ve tagged this post as “Lifestyle” because it is.  Sadly, it’s *my* lifestyle.

I’m slow.  I know I’m slow.  But that’s ok – I’m doing it, right?  And I’m enjoying it along the way.  In particular, I’m really liking the long runs.  Although now that I’m moving into the long distances, it is definitely getting harder.  In the last few weeks I’ve fallen behind.  We had rain two weekends in a row and then I did a long 7 miler (with an additional mile walking) and then didn’t do my run this weekend.  Yikes.  I need to somehow fit in two 8 mile runs between now and Sunday.  Argh.  Gotta do this.

I do like the long runs because it brings on the runner’s high.  I’m out there feeling the wind on my face, smelling the smells of being outside, and your senses become heightened.  The music in my ears seems better – it gets me pumped, makes me happy, and makes me think of happy times.  I’m reminded that it’s nice to get a smile of encouragement from other runners and the look of “you can do it, girl!” from other women on the trail and that it’s nice to smile and wave at strangers.  I usually run on a trail that has a lot of traffic – you see kids on bikes, people walking and talking, runners running fast, bikers biking, and once I even saw someone riding a big ol’ unicycle.  It’s pretty cool actually.

What’s hard to describe is the feeling of well being that you get when you run and feel good.  I’m going to try anyway.  When you’re having a good run, you feel strong, you feel proud because you’re able to do something that’s not easy, you feel like you want to keep doing this.  As gross as this sounds, I LOVE seeing the sweat caked to the inside of my hats and visors.  I LOVE it when sweat drips into my eye.  I LOVE it when I go to scratch my ear and I’m grossed out because it’s salty.  Why?  Because it’s proof that I worked hard.  Gross, I know.  I really love it when my heart rate monitor/gps says that I burned over 700 calories.  So fantastic.

And yet, I’ve been really bad about getting my runs done.  For a while, I was doing good – running a couple times a week at the gym and again on the weekend.  Ugh.  Why is it so damn hard to just get out there and go?  I don’t think there’s an excuse for the shorter weekly runs.  I can do those with baby in her jogging stroller or I can go to the gym after she goes to sleep.  Luckily she enjoys being in her stroller so she’s good for about an hour.  The longer runs are a little trickier.  If I don’t get out the door early enough, I won’t have enough time.  Miss K. has class on Sunday mornings.  Then there are other factors like weather (it’s raining or it’s too hot or whatever).  And this weekend I had a bridal shower I had to prep for.  I don’t know.  It feels like excuses – I just need to do it.  A couple times the odds were against me.  A few weeks ago I needed to do six miles (plus one walking) but I didn’t do it Saturday morning.  And I didn’t do it Sunday morning.  And it was starting to really cool down but I dragged myself out on Sunday afternoon and actually had a fantastic run.  Last weekend I needed to do seven (plus one walking).  Same thing…it was getting late.  It looked like rain.  It sprinkled on the drive to the trail.  There was a cop car where I normally park.  But I dragged myself out there and the cool weather worked to my benefit.  Again, great (but tough) run but I was so happy I did it.  Not like this week where I’m pissed I didn’t run.  Ugh.  The feeling of well being that comes with these runs is indescribable – I just need to get it done.

What do you do to motivate yourself to work out?

I can’t believe I actually enjoy running.

Sunday:  Carrot & Ginger Soup, Sandwiches, Brussel Sprouts, and Fries.  In-laws came over for dinner and my MIL asked for something easy like grilled cheese.  Hubby preferred veggie tapenade sandwiches so I made those instead (MIL had an upset stomach and decided to eat something else instead).  I felt like eating fries but thought I should use these sprouts too so the next thing you know, we had a bunch of food on the table.  AND I made some veggie pasta for the babe.  Lots going on at dinneroo last night!

Monday:  Quiche – I usually use puff pastry as the crust of our quiche but I’m going to try to use phyllo dough instead to cut back on the saturated fat.  Everyone seems to like quiche so let’s hope this doesn’t ruin it.

Tuesday:  Quinoa burgers, salad, fruit, and maybe some more fries!

Wednesday: Out

Thursday: Enchiladas

Friday: Hot and Spicy tofu, Rice and salad

Saturday:  Out