Nojo vs. Walgreens
Ok, so, Nojo’s cute and all, but this is just downright funny:
Sunday afternoon we shot Noah’s 1 year (well, 1 year plus a few weeks) pictures. As with all his pictures to-day, we’ve been taking them ourselves instead of paying Sears for overpriced shots of a fuzzy baby crying. These homemade photo shoots have so-far turned out fairly well… we’ve been happy with them, at least.
Anyways, for the past year I’ve been posting the shots to Flickr, and Amy’s uploaded them to Snapfish.com, mostly so our families can print off pictures at Walgreens. This has worked especially well for my side of the family: we post them from Holland, my Mom prints them off to their local Walgreens in Chicago, and also orders a few for my Grandparents at their local store in G.R.
That’s worked well — until today. Mom called me this afternoon, and the conversation went something like this:
Mom: Hi Bri. Love the pictures, but they’re a bit too good.
Me: … Huh?
Mom: Yeah, the clerk in Grand Rapids says he won’t print them off without getting proof you took them. They want (a) a copyright release on your “official” photographers letterhead, (b) the original film negative, or (c) the original camera so they can see that you took them.
Me: … ! Huh? You got to be kidding me.
Mom: Nope, really.
Me: … Huh?
I have to be honest, that did stroke my ego a bit in the right direction. But Walgreens, come on, honestly, who does that?!? That’s just nuts. Basically they’re just loosing business, since we’ll just use another service to print off the photos. I appreciate their concern for trying to obey copyright, but they really have to make it easier to prove ownership.
Anyways, even though you can’t print them off at Walgreens, at least you can enjoy them online.
Boating in the Kitchen
Ah, Spring is in the air! While it’s too cool to go out on the Big Lake, Noah’s already making waves in his kitchen boat:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PbiCtMn8BE]
Ah, I could watch that all day. 
Big News From Mocha
After that recent video post of me and the Baby, I felt a need to write a follow-up. Yes, I did let the child pull my tail. No, I didn’t bite him or jump away. Truth is, I just decided that I was going to hold my ground. Let him pull my tail if he wants, I will not give up my well-earned throne on the couch!
It was a Sunday afternoon, for crying out loud. Isn’t a cat entitled to a Sabbath rest without the whole world suggesting that she’s somehow “surrendered” to the baby?
Besides, there’s really no need for me to feel threatened by the Baby. I have proof that my people still love me. You see, Amy’s editor at Revell is compiling a book with short stories about cats, and Amy was asked if she’d like to contribute a piece. So she created a charming verbal montage about the early life of Mocha the Cat entitled “A Mocha’s Just What I Needed.” (And really, anything with me as the central character is bound to sparkle, don’t you think?)
So stay tuned for A Dickens of a Cat: And Other Stories of the Cats We Love. I would order two copies if I were you; one for yourself and one to give to a dog-lover. Once they read about me, I’m sure they’ll convert.
Breaking News: Cat Surrenders to baby. Film at 11:00.
Well, since it’s 11:00 somewhere, here’s the video:
[youtube http://youtube.com/watch?v=h1l__eVRass]
The camera ran out of space, so I ended up catching only 11 seconds of Noah torturing playing with Mocha. Mocha apparently decided it wasn’t worth the effort to move. Or (and equally possible) she’s just given up all hope that we’ll return Noah whatever place we picked him up at.
Either way, she just didn’t care anymore, and boy, did he have a good time pulling her tail.
16lb
That, my friends, is how much weight I’ve lost since January 2. I’m now a lean, mean blogging machine.
Here’s the full scoop:
After Dad Tol’s heart attack, Amy and I decided we could use some lifestyle adjustments. I’ve never been truly overweight, but I wasn’t exactly the skinny punk I was back in college. And given family history looming over me, it seemed like a good time to make some changes.
So we started walking more (two times a week at the mall), I’ve been doing yoga (don’t laugh: I can now flex into all sorts of kung-fu positions and take you out), and – most importantly – we’ve been doing Weight Watchers.
Well, we’ve been following the Weight Watchers’ points system. We haven’t actually joined a program or anything. That said, I’m now a bit fan of the program, and a firm believer that it works.
My overall goal wasn’t to turn into a vegan, but to make subtle and sustainable changes that I could stick to. Weight Watchers provides you with just those sorts of changes.
For example, I now understand how really, really bad cookies, regular pop (that’s “soda” for you Virginian readers) and other sweets are for you. Using the W.W. program, I get 30 “points” a day. Points are calculated based on a foods calorie, fat and fiber content. Most cookies are 3 points, or 10% of my daily food intake. 10% for a little, tiny cookie? No thank you Bob!
We’ve also been amazed how simple changes – like using reduced calorie butter and fat-free soups – can make a huge difference as well. And then there are the point-free foods. Beans and carrots are free. We’ve got beans coming out of our ears!
Besides the actual 16 pounds, I’m feeling better, too. (I know, surprise, surprise). I’m sleeping better, and I know longer experience dulling sleepiness after lunch. I haven’t officially checked, but I bet my cholesterol is down, too.
So, 16 pounds in 60 days. Not bad if you ask me! At this rate I’ll be back to modeling in Paris again in no time…
Baby Distraction 101
There’s never a dull moment here at the Tols. Now that Noah’s mastered crawling, he’s been exploring the whole house. And I’m always a couple steps behind, trying to catch up to him before he yanks over the lamp, resets the alarm clock, or resorts the DVD collection. So we’ve been developing a new skill lately–the art of baby distraction. Our goal: Keep him occupied in one location for at least 30 seconds. Our methods: Read on.
Method #1: Food
Now that Noah’s gotten the knack of finger foods, feeding him isn’t quite as labor intensive. Sometimes he’s rather loud (especially if he’s protesting some of the food we’ve chosen), but at least mealtimes give us a few minutes to sit down instead of chasing him around the house!
Well, if he’s got to be on the move all the time, at least we can try to control where he moves, right? This way, he still gets some motion around the house, but without all the reaching, grabbing, and pulling that can cause trouble!
Daddy is teaching our little guy how to take care of his dishes. (Well, actually he just bangs his sippy cup against the dishwasher rack and laughs at the noise. But it’s a start.)
Method #4: New Toys
When all else fails, you can host a birthday party and receive lots of new toys!