Two Gift Ideas (that we already have, but recommend to you)

This is the time of year when I always start feeling panic-y about the hard-to-shop for person on my list, for whom I still haven't figured out what to get.

I really appreciate it when people post about gifts they've received or loved or had success giving, so I'm going to throw two ideas out, just in case you're feeling particularly stumped.

Electric Salt and Pepper (Spice) Grinder.
Our friends in Germany had a version of these, and to be honest, had we not tried theirs first, we never would have purchased this item for ourselves. It seems so silly! An electric grinder for salt and pepper! Please! How lazy can we get?

Well, pretty lazy, apparently. But whatever! Because these are so FUN! And oddly satisfying to use! Just push the button on the top and ground spice comes out the bottom. Everyone we've given them to has really liked them as well. We've been buying ours (as gifts) from various vendors on Amazon, but they are also available at specialized kitchen stores.

Wind-up Toys / Ornaments
The two wind up toys above are from Kikkerland. They spark and jump and turn and move in funny paths. We gave them to our kids last year for Christmas, although, due to the sparking, etc., they're not recommended for younger kids. The kids used them with supervision and they have held up fairly well.

This Jack in the Box ornament below has also been a big hit with the kids. We've had it since 2008. It's missing a bow, but still works! As an ornament, it doesn't stay on the tree for very long. The kids can't wind it until about age 3 or 4. Now we're at the point where there's always a bigger kid willing to wind it for a smaller kid. I always feel like I won a small victory when something encourages an older and younger to work together.

There's definitely some irony in these suggestions. DON'T wind your spice grinder, but DO wind a toy. Did you catch it?

The weight of things going on in life has overwhelmed my ability to small talk.  As far as this blog goes: I think it's healthy to post about small things. I think it keeps me from being overwhelmed. I think I'm better at small talk in real life when I'm practicing it here on my blog. And yet, at the same time, when I am feeling particularly worried, it's hard to think about the details. It's hard to be lighthearted. It's hard to be funny. It's hard to be creative.

Instead, I find myself obsessively reading the latest news cycle to take my mind off Weighty Things in Life. It's a poor strategy. The news cycles have been pretty horrible the last month.

I'm not a big fan of being obtuse, nor do I want to overshare: so let me do a short version of Weighty-Things-in-My-Personal-Life:

My mother had a series of panic attacks last month. This is the first time anyone I love has ever spiraled into panic attacks. My experience has been: you see it coming and feel pretty helpless to do anything about it. Actually, I was very concerned that the whole spiral was going to end in a heart attack (or worse). So far, I've noticed one doesn't just snap out of it. It takes time. It takes medical leave. It takes patience. What else? I don't know, I'm still learning about this. I feel frustrated to be thousands of miles away.

My uncle, who lives nearby, has spent the last 3 years battling lymphoma. He is undergoing his third round of chemo now. The most recent cancer return has been the most aggressive variant yet. The cancer is everywhere in his body, and most days it feels like every piece of medical news is bad news. In fact, about three weeks ago, the doctors gave him 2-3 weeks to live without treatment. He's still alive. I'm learning the human body can do amazing things, but learning this through experience is not something I would wish upon anybody.

I think: I would like to stop reading the newspaper. I would like to post about non weighty topics. I think I will post about other things. But I also felt like I had to share this information to move forward.

Silver bullets

1.
Shortly after Noah was born in 2007, my Silicon Valley friends visited us in Munich.

As I pushed Noah in his stroller through the gardens at Schloss Nymphenburg, they showed me all the cool features on their fancy iPhones, which were, amazingly(!) receiving calls from California while mapping our walking route through the trees.

"But it doesn't refresh fast enough for mapping in the car," said Leslie, shaking her iPhone as though it might just work faster with a little physical encouragement.

Those iPhones: they felt like a definite step up from a clam shell! But I still couldn't really think of a good reason for ME to get one.

2.
After Trixie was born in 2013, I confided to my friend, with a baby about the same age as Trixie, that I couldn't go anywhere in a car without the newborn Trixie screaming, screaming, screaming. I'd sing, I'd enlist the boys help, I'd cycle through songs on CDs, I'd (carefully!) break or accelerate a little faster, hoping to distract her. Nothing.

"Oh!" said my friend, "I just throw my iPhone in the baby seat. I have an app for white noise!"

3.
My new sister-in-law is pregnant. She has an app for her phone telling her what foods are safe enough for her to eat. She uses it in restaurants. The waiters get a workout between the table and kitchen while they trace down the source of all the ingredients in the food. Some eggs apparently have significantly more toxins in them than others, you know.

I'm pretty sure that the precision of these concerns would simply NOT be possible without a smartphone.

4.
A few weeks ago, I missed another important text from a friend regarding our children. And I felt (again!) the guilt of my technology aversion. Maybe it's time I finally got a smart phone rather than using this dumb phone. I'm ruining my friendships! This really has to change, it's time I grow up and get connected.

I've thought about buying myself a smart phone with my very modest earnings from my Etsy store this fall. But, I have to confess, I'm still not sure I can bring myself to do it. I'm not sure I really trust myself to put the damn thing down. And what if I stop singing to my kids because my smartphone really is a silver (or rose gold!) bullet?