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As a mother of two beautiful girls (insert additional gloating comments here), I try to limit my annoying parenting comments to my  non-parenting friends.

But even as a parent, I can attest that the below comments are by far the most annoying things parents can say to non-parents, or soon-to-parents for that matter. Please note they are not listed in order of annoyance.

1. “Just Wait”
   Quite possibly one of the most annoying phrases. Ever. I got this a lot when I was pregnant, and now from parents with children older than mine. “You think this is bad? Just wait until she gets older.” a) Why are people always projecting so much negativity? Yes, parenting is exhausting and we get pooped on, peed on, etc. But it can be an incredibly rewarding experience. b) While I may have limited experience as a parent, I’m well aware that more changes are headed my way. The “Just wait, they get older” comment is by far my favorite comment. Thank you, stranger. I might not otherwise know to expect my children to age or change.
2. “You can’t possibly understand.”
   Insulting and condescending. Suggesting another person cannot possibly understand what it’s like to be sleep deprived, or totally in love, or even frustrated beyond belief is utterly and completely condescending.
3. “When are you having kids?”
   For me the annoying, recurring question is “When are you getting married?” But having married friend without children, I often hear them get the “When are you having kids?” question. Second to that in annoyance is “When are you having more kids?” Particularly annoying if you literally just popped out a kid. Case in point, I was in the hospital room holding my newborn daughter when a family member asked if I was planning on having anymore.

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• Facebook’s Five Most Annoying Parents: Meet the parents no one likes on Facebook. | Babble

Our dining room is undergoing a major overhaul. It all started this summer when Manfriend knocked down the wall between the living room and the dining room. Since then, I’ve been working on giving the entire room a makeover – peeling ugly wallpaper, putting a coat of fresh paint on the walls, sewing new curtains, making shelves – the works! Needless to say with a newborn in the house, the home projects are taking quite a bit longer these days, but I’m taking it one step at a time and celebrating the little victories.

One such victory is our new dining room chair set! I started my search online for inspiration, and to get a sense of what a new set of dining room chairs would cost. $75 for a pair? And that was on the less expensive end. NO THANKS.

So I turned to Craigslist and scored a set of 4 chairs for $25. The can of paint I bought at Lowe’s set me back $4, so this entire project cost me less than $30! (The fabric I used has been sitting in my craft room for at least one year – not sure what it cost me, but man am I thankful to finally put it to use.)

Start to finish, each chair took me 1.5 hours to complete – that includes replacing the cushion fabric, painting and putting the chair back together.

Unique dining room chairs for $30! Is that a deal or what?

The set I found on Craigslist looked pretty ugly but at that price, I was willing to take a look. What sold me, and what you should keep in mind when looking for an easy chair makeover project, is this:

• Take a look under the chair and examine how the seat is attached. A set of screws are easy to remove and so is cushion fabric.
• What type of material is the rest of the chair made up of? In my case, I knew I couldn’t do much with the gold, shiny legs, but with a wooden back I could repaint and cushions I could recover, I wasn’t really worried.

Tools You’ll Need

• Screwdriver and pliers to remove staples
• Staple gun to apply new fabric
• Fabric
• Paint

What To Do

1. Disassemble the chair. I like to save my screws in an old baby food container.
   
2. Remove  the staples and old fabric.
3. I like to place my cushion on the fabric to measure. Be sure to leave 2-3 inches from the edge of the cushion to have enough fabric to cover the edges.
   
4. Stable new fabric and voila!

Tips

• Be sure to mark the screw holes. This will save you time and frustration as you reassemble the chair.
• If you do have an area of the chair you intend to paint, take a scrap of your desired fabric to the paint store to pick the perfect shade.

I’d love to hear about your next DIY project or see pictures! What have you worked on recently?

 

Related articles

• Easy Steps to Reupholster a Chair
• Before & After: Dining Room (thecabinologist.com)
• Latest Craigslist Finds (happymommyhappybaby.wordpress.com)

In the six years I’ve lived in Reno, this marked my first time at the annual Genoa Candy Dance. That’s the beauty of children; you explore and do things you might otherwise take no interest in.

That said, it was a long day for the girls. It was hot and there are literally thousands of people. As the Child sat in the middle of a road screaming her lungs out, I looked across the street and my eyes rested on the oldest saloon in Nevada. “Next year, we’re coming without the kids and spending our day there,” I told my friend.

Family event, yes. But plan for a long day of walking and potential heat.

I’d like to go back to Genoa when there aren’t hundreds of vendors. It’s a charming town in a beautiful part of Nevada. Interesting factoid though, this year was the 91st annual event. It’s the town largest event of the year and accounts for most of their funding! The Candy Dance is actually quite fun. Pack some snacks, water and bring cash because there are tons of hand-made items and food for sale.

Have you been to Genoa or the Candy Dance?

I got a schwanky new camera for Mother’s Day, and I finally had a chance to test out the video feature. I’m still learning as you can see. This is my first family video captured in September when my sister and niece visited. Thanks for watching!

I took my girls (ages 3 years and 3 months) to the Kokanee Salmon Festival on Saturday. It was a lofty commitment driving 1.5 hours, alone, from Reno with two little ones, but it was totally worth it, and I’d do it again. It definitely helped that I hyped it up with my toddler the night before as we talked about the exciting “fishie festival”. (Please, please be exciting!)

We pulled into the parking lot about two hours after the event started, and I was pleasantly surprised to see it was already packed with families. There were tons of representatives from the Forest Service Visitor Center and rangers from the California Department of Fish and Game. It was great having so many experts on hand to answer questions from those of us who know so little (or nothing) about the Kokanee Salmon.

The Rainbow Trail, which wraps along Taylor Creek, is a paved path that is completely kid and stroller friendly. It’s surrounded by aspens and is absolutely gorgeous. There are signs along the trail that give more detailed information about the landscape throughout the changing seasons. There are even benches along the path – saving graces for nursing mothers like me!

Being able to see the Kokanee Salmon spawn a mere two feet from you is quite an impressive sight. I’d never seen anything like this before. In fact, when I told a friend I was going to a salmon festival he said, “Salmon? But we live in Reno.” One of the many perks of living so close to South Lake Tahoe.

I learned that while there are 63 streams that flow into Lake Tahoe, 95% of Kokanee Salmon living in Lake Tahoe use Taylor Creek to spawn each year. The Kokanee Salmon lifecycle is an incredible story and worth exploring, even if you miss the yearly October event. A few fun factoids:

• Kokanee Salmon are a land-locked relative of the Sockeye Salmon native to the Pacific Northwest.
• Average size is 14 inches.
• Once the spawning is complete, the female will die within a few days; the male can live up to 14 days.
• Kokanee were “accidentally” introduced to Lake Tahoe in 1944 from holding ponds that overflowed at the old Tahoe City Fish Hatchery. Since then, the California Department of Fish and Game plant fingerlings each year in the tributary streams, maintaining a healthy population.

One of our favorite parts about the event was the profile chamber – the tunnel experience that puts you under water and face-to-face with the fish. It’s such a great community resource and wonderful learning opportunity for the kids.

We spent between two to three hours at the event and not once did my toddler say she was bored or tired!

If you missed the big festival, you can probably still see the Salmon spawn for at least one more week. Check out the Forest Service Website for more information.