Tragic Sandwich

Category: House and Home

  • Parenting: Reality Check

    I’m thrilled to be a featured writer at Studio30 Plus! I’m writing about one of the ways my real-world parenting has diverged from my theoretical, pre-Baguette parenting–and how maybe, just maybe, the two are getting closer:

    I used to imagine what I’d be like as a mom. I’ve always known I wanted children, so the idea of being a mom came pretty naturally. And I had a great mom, so I knew I wanted to incorporate a lot of what she did into my own parenting.

    Also, I was going to be organized.

    The mom in my head had a mudroom with hooks for jackets, hats, and scarves. She had a perfectly organized filing system. She had a system for keeping track of which permission slips and report cards needed to be signed for each child. And she cooked wholesome, nutritious meals from scratch, for the whole family.

    To read the rest of the post, visit Studio30 Plus.

  • Update: We Have Heat!

    This update is very out of date; we’ve had heat for about 6 weeks. But then there were the holidays, and Baguette got sick, and I got sick, and then work started, and that’s just how it goes. So, here’s what it looks like when your rooftop heating and a/c unit has to be replaced:

    And it’s a good thing, because between colds and southern California’s version of winter, we’ve had plenty of opportunity to use it. Here’s to technology.

    Photos by Mr. Sandwich.

  • Monday Listicles: 10 Things I Learned in 2012

    Life is one big learning experience. And if all of life isn’t (but it is), parenting sure is. This week’s Monday Listicles is about 10 things I’ve learned this year. Here we go:

    1) I can carry a 27-pound child on my shoulders.

    2) Roasting a butternut squash really is easy.

    3) When your day care says that each child is an individual, they mean “until that causes us slightly more work.”

    4) I’m just never going to like brown rice.

    5) No matter how careful you are, you will step on a Duplo.

    6) I don’t have Pinterest guilt, because I never wanted to do that stuff anyhow.

    7) Watching a two-year-old stack things is fascinating.

    8) I don’t get nearly enough time with the friends I want to see.

    9) Fennel seeds can ruin an entire dish for me.

    10) I may be addicted to ice cream.

  • Update: So, About That Heater

    It’s been red-tagged. That means it’s not just stupid to use it (carbon monoxide poisoning, I’m looking at you), but illegal.

    We’ve gotten one estimate on replacement and are trying to get some more–although given that we’re approaching the holidays, we’re not going to spend ages comparison shopping.

    And although temperatures were supposed to be in the low 70s, today was actually about 10 degrees cooler, and rainy. That means tonight is a good night to cook in the oven. I just took a pizza out and replaced it with butternut squash macaroni and cheese, so soon we should be warm inside and out.

    Beyond that, we have a space heater that we run when we need it, and layers. You can’t really live properly in southern California without layers, after all.

    Photos by Mr. Sandwich.

  • Thankful Thursday: Climate

    Programmable thermostat

    Our heater is out, and after Mr. Sandwich replaced the old thermostat with the new one, it turned out that (a) we’ll need to paint the hallway, and (b) the problem was [drumroll please!] not the thermostat! So now we have to find an HVAC repair specialist.

    This weekend is supposed to cooler. But it’s southern California, and that means that the highs will be around 72, with lows in the mid-50s. So, okay, the house is going to be cool when we get up in the morning. But we could have the same problem with much lower lows. So if we’re going to have a broken heater, at least we don’t have a broken heater in a cold climate.

  • True Lies

    This week’s Monday Listicles is 9 Made-Up Facts and 1 True Fact. So let’s give it a shot.

      1) I have three sisters, none of whom live in the same state.

      2) I love to see the sunrise.

      3) I have traveled to every state except Maine.

      4) When I was in the third grade, I wanted to be a trapeze artist.

      5) I have never attended the Olympics.

      6) I transferred to another high school after vandalizing the football clubhouse.

      7) I took guitar lessons for six years.

      8) I sang second tenor in two church choirs.

      9) I have never been to a professional baseball game.

      10) In seventh grade, I beat the world’s record for solving a Rubik’s Cube.

    So, which one is true? The first person to guess correctly gets to be smug all day long!

  • 5 Things I Found While I Was Looking Around

    building 5

    8 Cute and Refreshingly Non-Slutty Ladies Costumes on Unreality Magazine

    For those times when Halloween makes you despair. Don’t despair!

    Monty Python Ministry of Silly Walks Clock on Laughing Squid

    Tick, tock, silly walks.

    Small is cool on Miss Moss

    I don’t really want to live in a place this small, but I kind of want to be able to.

    Cheese & Burger Society

    Yes, please.

    A Child’s Letter About Her Beloved Departed Dog on Itchmo

    Oh, you’ll cry.

    Photo by qmnonic, via Flickr.