My cat, Samuel, tagged a car seat today. The main problem is that it is not my car seat. My friend Rachel called me this morning and asked if I could watch her 5 month old son, Nathan, while she went to a doctor’s appointment. She packed him in the car seat and I noticed that his head rest was wet. It looked like he spit up. Then from my angle I can see a big pool of yellow liquid under his car seat. Pee. I look at my husband, Daniel, and I am mouthing to him “Samuel” and he looks at me and says, “What?” Then I mouth “cat.” Then we all look to the yellow pool and Rachel and Daniel realize it is cat pee. I. was. mortified.
Daniel and I fumbled through an apology and offered to buy her another one. Rachel takes out Nathan and I get a wipe and wipe down the side of his face and his onesie. Daniel is cleaning the pool of pee. Then in my one moment of clarity I offer Rachel my car seat until I can clean hers and return it to her. She is very gracious about the entire event.
So how do you get the pee smell out? What do you do? Daniel and I thought that if this happened to us, then we would buy another one. So you can guess what we did – we bought Rachel a new Graco Snugride. Graco changes patterns like they change their underwear and Babies R’ Us did not have their pattern. So her stroller doesn’t match her new seat.
I have washed the cover in the washing machine twice, once with an 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. I might try another homemade cleaner, but I doubt it will work. I think the car seat may be lost forever.
So if you have cats and your visitor has animals at home, then you better put their car seat away to keep from being tagged!
I am a big time sucker for the newest, greatest baby item! I am always drooling at the newest baby bedding, diaper bag, stroller, etc…! Let’s face it, anything “baby” is pricey! A few things I do when purchasing baby items is I shop for older models or prints. For example, the 2008 Maclaren Twin Techno stroller retails for $399 at Babies “R” Us, however I purchased the 2006 model (which is exactly the same, but a different color) brand new for $250 after shipping! Because of this “baby gear obsession,” I have accrued a lot of nice things that we have outgrown or no longer need. My husband and I had sold a few things on Ebay and had been pretty successful, so I started selling some of my gently used baby gear on Ebay as well. I have had major success!
The best thing about selling things on Ebay is the extra cash in your pocket to buy that newest item in the baby catalog! While this will in no way give you EVERYTHING you need to know to become an Ebay seller, these are a few tips that will hopefully make your adventure easier.
Unless you’re an experienced Ebayer, it’s best to sell items like high chairs, cribs, and strollers on Craigslist. Craiglist is an awesome, local, classified ad and it’s free for anyone to list items! You don’t have to worry about shipping items when you sell them on Craiglist, which is why you should stick to this avenue for your bigger items!
If you want to sell, you have to buy!
Ebay definitely takes practice! My number one advice to people who want to start selling items on Ebay is to start purchasing items. By purchasing items, you can learn the process of how Ebay works, build a reputation, and see what you appreciated and didn’t appreciate from the buyers perspective.
By typing in an item, and selecting the “Completed Listings Only” box, you can see what items sell for. You can also compare shipping costs so you are competitive with your shipping rate. This will help you know what you can predict your auction to go for.
Watch out for shipping!
The number one mistake people make on Ebay is underestimating the cost to ship an item. It can be so disheartening to finally sell your first item, only to learn that $5.00 of your winning bid has to pay for the remaining shipping costs. The US Post Office has flat rate boxes that will ship priority which can help you determine what to charge for shipping.
Media Mail-the best kept secret!
Most people are unaware that the US Post office offers a cheaper rate called “media mail” for items like books, cd’s, DVD’s, magazines, etc… If you are shipping any “media” items, be sure to take advantage of this shipping method.
Be a good communicator!
Make sure you contact your buyer once your auction is completed informing them when you plan on shipping their item. Remind them to leave you positive feedback once they receive their item.
Just do it!
Pick an item that you think will sell and just jump in! Becoming a successful seller on Ebay is going to be trial and error. If you need a cheerleader or want me to answer some specific questions, let me know!
For much more detailed information on how to start your selling adventure on Ebay, check out this site!
Do you have an obsession with all things “baby?” What has your experience been with buying and selling items on Ebay and Craigslist?
The physical reaction to the MMR vaccination may be old news to parents who have children over the age of 1 but I hope that my daughter’s experience will help all those who are coming up on their little one’s 1-year check up. I don’t intend to give any medical advice here; I am only sharing what happened to my daughter, Annabelle.
The MMR vaccine stands for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella. Children receive 2 doses of the vaccine. The first does is given at 12-15 months of age and the second at 4-6 years of age when they are about to enter school and are at a higher risk of contracting one of the diseases.
Annabelle received the MMR vaccine, Chickenpox vaccine, and Pneumoccal Conjugate vaccines at her 1-year well visit check up. My pediatrician warned me that in 10-14 days she might get a fever and a rash, because of the MMR shot. Exactly 10 days later she got a high fever. She was sick for three days with a fever of almost a 103 degrees and she had funky, runny poop. Then as the fever was finally settling down she broke out in a rash and her face swelled up. My instructions said that the rash shouldn’t last more than three days and to call if they turned purple. Thankfully the rash only lasted three days, but she was ill for a total of a week.
In the bigger picture I would rather my daughter get a fever and rash that goes away, than the more serious risks of measles, mumps, or rubella. The CDC states that 1 in 5 persons will get a fever and that 1 in 20 persons will get a rash from the vaccine. Annabelle was one of the lucky recipients of the 1 in 20 chance.
Happy Independence Day! I hope you’re all out enjoying yourselves at parks, barbeques, parties, ballgames, movie theaters, and the like. For those of us who are more likely to spend the holiday at home, I thought it would be nice to piggyback off of Amanda’s super fun post from yesterday with some easy entertainment ideas for you and your family members! I’m not reinventing the wheel here, just having a little fun.
Five summery or patriotic movies you can enjoy with the kids:
The Sandlot – summer classic about friendships, baseball, and a big scary dog. Includes a great 4th of July scene.
Field of Dreams – quintessential baseball fantasy with great family relationships and sweet moments to treasure.
My Girl – sweet, simple story about an important summer in young Vada Sultenfuss’ life (with a Home Alone-era Macaulay Culkin; remember how cute he was?)
An American Tail – great family animated film about a little mouse who gets separated from his family en route to the States. Lots of history, too!
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – “It demonstrates democracy in action,” the trailer declares. Experience again this movie classic and tell your children all about the late, great James Stewart. I first saw this in a high school government class. Loved it.
Easy music idea:
If you’re looking for some fun with background music for your holiday dinner, look no further! Make a playlist or mix cd with “freedom”, “summer”, or “America” as your theme. This is especially fun to do with tweens & teens; give them $10 and have them buy 10 songs from an online store to make a mix for the family. Here’s a small sampling of what I found in my iPod with those words in the title:
I played my list at dinner last night and it sparked lots of fun conversation with my dear hubby. Crank it up and enjoy!
Any other film or music suggestions out there?Are you inspired to decorate your house like the one in the picture above? (Yes, that is an actual house in my neighborhood.) Have a great holiday, and for grins, I’ll have Bill Pullman take us out:
I am preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July by looking up ideas for crafts, food, and fun around the web. I love ideas that are practical, easy, and can be prepared in a short time frame. I am NOT Martha Stewart and I don’t aspire to be. So here is what I have found to help all of us party in style this Friday!
My cat, Samuel, tagged a car seat today. The main problem is that it is not my car seat. My friend Rachel called me this morning and asked if I could watch her 5 month old son, Nathan, while she went to a doctor’s appointment. She packed him in the car seat and I noticed that his head rest was wet. It looked like he spit up. Then from my angle I can see a big pool of yellow liquid under his car seat. Pee. I look at my husband, Daniel, and I am mouthing to him “Samuel” and he looks at me and says, “What?” Then I mouth “cat.” Then we all look to the yellow pool and Rachel and Daniel realize it is cat pee. I. was. mortified.
Then in my one moment of clarity I offer Rachel my car seat until I can clean hers and return it to her. She is very gracious about the entire event.
The physical reaction to the MMR vaccination may be old news to parents who have children over the age of 1 but I hope that my daughter’s experience will help all those who are coming up on their little one’s 1-year check up. I don’t intend to give any medical advice here; I am only sharing what happened to my daughter, Annabelle.
In the bigger picture I would rather my daughter get a fever and rash that goes away, than the more serious risks of measles, mumps, or rubella. 
History
