I Still Have One Follower?

Wow. I haven't posted on this blog since 2009. And I still have a follower! Crazy.

Well, let's see if I can catch myself up to now. Since 2009, I:

• Got pregnant and had my [now 10-month old] daughter


• Changed jobs


• Stopped exercising (just for now, I hope)


• Became a huge advocate for breastfeeding and making my own baby food (though, I am buying jarred, organic meat-based foods for quick consumption and less waste)


• Said goodbye to our long-lived, long-loved pet, Michelle (the wonderdog) *tear*

And since 2009, I have discovered all kinds of good finds that I hope to relay to my one trusted follower in this post (as my initial intention for starting this blog was to talk about the good things that I've discovered).

Because my priorities have shifted, many of the recent good finds I have found are now baby-related (apologies to all my non-breeder or DINK friends). Bear with me, kid-less folks; you might actually find some of these good finds useful.

OneStepAhead.com

Holy-effing-useful products, Batman. This website sells so many incredible baby and kid products that it would take me several blogs to encapsulate it all. Some of the more surprising items sold on this website are eco-friendly, reusable products such as these sandwich wrappers and lunch containers. From toys to clothes to safety products, you can't go wrong with this store.

Ariake Restaurant

Ahh, Japanese restaurants in the suburbs. You usually leave us wanting, but not this time. Ariake Restaurant in Reston, VA, tucked away behind foliage across the road from an unassuming strip mall, is barely noticeable from street view. In fact, I've probably driven by in a million times without so much as a glance in its direction until a former co-worker friend introduced us earlier this year. From then, it was love at first bite.

Inside its small but cozy interior, the servers and sushi chefs exude friendliness. The simple menu (teriyaki, bento boxes, and sushi, mostly) reassure the skittish 'Merican-folk that they won't be venturing too far off the beaten palette. However, their specials will really wow even the super-critical foodies. They have high-chairs for the kiddies and our server even accommodated our request to heat our daughter's food-from-home in the microwave (total plus in my book). The prices are reasonable, and if you go there for lunch during the work week you probably won't have to wait for a table (at least, in my experience).

CustomInk.com

I discovered this website while trying to think of creative and funny Father's Day gift ideas for Josh. To date, I've created and bought 5 personalized t-shirts with my daughter's pictures on them. Yes, I'm one of those parents. Don't hate.

Basically, this website allows people to upload pictures and personalize clothing such as long- and short-sleeved t-shirts, athletic wear, hats, mugs, etc. It's very simple to use and the staff at Custom Ink will contact you if they fear that your design might encounter some snags (such as poor pixelation due to picture size, color issues, and the like). I had to pay sales taxes on my purchases because Custom Ink has a store location in VA (Alexandria, I think). You can customize on name brand apparel such as Hanes and American Apparel, to name a couple. You can choose your brand of clothing from their list, though beware-- depending on brand and color, you may have to meet a minimum item requirement (e.g. "you must buy at least 6 of Brand X shirt in this color"), but if you're not too particular it'll work out fine.

Here are some examples of the shirts I've made:

That's all for now. Hope you are still awake.