I was so pleased with myself for pulling off that YouTube video at the last minute yesterday. And now I'm just a discombobulated mess of To Do Lists. And To Blog Lists. It's clear that I cannot get my act together enough to pull off the fancy Toddler Gift Guide blog that I was working on  ... or the Cloth Napkin Tutorial blog that I was working on ... or the Story of How My Red Accordion Was Misplaced or Pawned or Give Away by a Friend and then the Subject was Basically Ignored Every Time I Asked About It blog that I was working on ... or the Updates on my Kid's Potty Training blog that I was working on...

That brings me to today's blog: merely a List. Not a Listacle because, let's face it, I clearly can't even get my act together enough to pull that off.

Louisville-made Child Baby Carriers

These are SO cute. I wish I hadn't bought a wee Boba back on the wee Boy's 2nd birthday. Love all the fabrics and designs and just so so ridiculous. Amber Wait from Worth the Wait Alterations (she also, like, hems trousers and stuff!) makes them. I know she sold a bunch a the Mama's Hip craft fair this weekend, but check out her Facebook page if you are still looking for a gift for a kiddo who likes dolls. The carriers are $25. Bargain.






Louisville-made puppets

Another local mom, Sarah Walther, makes these adorable felt puppets for only around $6. My wee boy bought the puppy one at a local art fair, and we play with it often.Check out her Etsy shop here.





Lots of other local gift guides, but let's remember: I can't get my act together to complete any list. So you're going to have to settle for TWO suggestions.


Cloth Napkin tutorial:
For months I've been meaning to put together a simple cloth napkin tutorial for you. Instead, just have a photo of some of the cute napkins I've made for our collection.

Other things to discuss:
The Wee Boy is still a grownup when it comes to the potty. In fact his daycare has even stopped putting pullups on him at nap. No, he still hasn't slept through the night (though we have had a few nights of only waking 1-2x lately, which is miraculous), but he has probably pooped in more restaurants than you have. It's underwear-central at our house.





Now if I play my cards right, I might, just MIGHT, have a fun new video for you for Hanukkah tomorrow. I've also got to read 13 more books to complete my Goodread Challenge by the end of the year. And drive 1000 miles on Thursday. And get the house ready for the holiday renters. Egads.

I played an event at Craft Gallery on South 4th Street in Louisville last weekend, where Scott Scarboro curated an exhibit based on the idea of the saw as a canvas (it's very cool -- go see it, and get your holiday shopping done whilre you're there). Not surprisingl it was entirely a saw gig. It was a fun evening, filled with me basically doing karaoke on the saw and also giving saw lessons to random people coming through the gallery. 

Ahh, champagne before take-off!

Here is how spoiled I have become. My husband just found out that he doesn't have to travel for work the rest of the year. I am sad about this because he was only three trips away from platinum status on Delta. I mean, obviously I am happy I get to see David every single day for the rest of the year. But but but...

Seriously, though, platinum status means a huge chance of upgrades. And upgrades for David mean upgrades for companion travelers ... which would be me. So basically I'm mildly bummed about a potential upgrade for a trip sometime next year that isn't even planned yet.

But, people! Have you ever flown first class international? Here's a funny little travelogue from my very first UK tour, when Peter Searcy and I got upgraded on our transatlantic flight.



I swear I'm super super excited to have my husband all to myself the rest of the year though. He's traveled a gazillion days this year, and I always miss him madly (except that first night when I stretch out like a starfish in the bed). Also, apparently on his work trips, he eats sushi every Monday night, so I suppose I can support him in continuing that tradition. Provided, of course, that he gets behind my Monday night tradition of emptying the dishwasher ...

Anyway, if you don't hear from me in a while, it's because I'm snuggled up beside my sweetheart sipping mulled cider and singing Christmas carols.

Some of my friends have kept glorious leather-bound journals full of letters to their children while they were in the womb, actual printed photographs (not just hopefully stored on The Cloud), and a long list of hilarious things their kiddos have said. I am not so organized, so I am using this blog for that purpose.

Here's a picture of my little one. It's not a newborn baby, but I don't think it's nice to post pics of other people's babies online.

I'm having one of those days where nothing goes right, and everything is frustrating. But I'm alive and healthy, and I know lots of people aren't. Perspective is important, but then again, sometimes it's just okay to have a grumpy day.

One thing is keeping me smiling, however, and that is the knowledge that there is a little girl in Austin, Texas, who was born on Sunday to two of my favorite people in the entire world. And her name is Brigid. Can you believe that? This brand new, beautiful baby girl is named Brigid. She will have a life of spelling her name out for everyone she meets, but she will also never have to be known as Brigid D. Because there can be only one! I am still in shock, mind-blown, can't fathom, etc, etc. I get to meet this beautiful little lass in less than three weeks, and I can't get to Austin soon enough.

In the spirit of love and all that's good, I wrote this song for my own little baby, and now I give it to you (for free, if you want to download it). It's an unmastered demo, but will eventually be on the new full-length album.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We didn't have any plans, and then all of a sudden we were invited to my uncle's house. It was a super low-key holiday, and I loved it. My husband was even home for 10 days in a row, which is fantastic, since we are that annoying type of couple who prefers to be completely attached and together all the time. (Seriously, he's the only person who never gets sick of me. Besides the Wee Boy, who prefers to be on my lap at all times.)

Business first: Louisvillians, get out your iphones now and ask Siri to remind you to go to Great Flood Brewing Company (by the Douglass Loop) this Wednesday around 6:30. I'm singing there from 7-9 with my good friends Dan Canon and Steve Cooley. It's also doubling as my annual Chrismakkuh party, where I make cookies. Cookies and craft beer and Cooley and Canon and Kaelin ... sounds alliteratively delicious, yes? See you there. It's all-ages, and it's free.

Cooking second: LOOK AT THIS APPLE PIE THAT DAVID AND I MADE! Seriously, we were inspired by Pinterest, but ended up doing a combination of a few designs we saw on the internet.

Directions:

1. Make pie crust. (Google a recipe).
2. Slice apples thinly, leaving the peels on them. Red apples will suggest a red rose, so using a variety of pinks to reds could be very cool.
3. Toss them in apple pie spices and a little lemon juice.
4. Arrange them like the first picture, but go around and around and around.
5. Use super-thin slices for the center.
6. My first layer was too short, so I added a second layer, less carefully, supplementing the "petals" with extra apple slices.
6. Bake at 350 for an hour.

It's beautiful. It tastes delicious. But, you know, I think I prefer apple pies that have a top layer of crust on them. The rose design is impressive, but it's hard to cut slices of it.

I know my posts about potty training get a hundred times more views than my posts about music, but today I just don't care. I'm a singer-songwriter-type, and I'm going to show you a new song. I used to really not like those lo-fi videos of people singing new songs in their basements. But guess what? I've changed my mind. I've been daydreaming of Scotland so much lately, and this new song is for an old friend: Nick Keir. For now the song is called "Once I Had."

Slainte, cheers!



P.S. Meant to have this up sooner, but my internet was crazy slow today! Sorry.

Last week I lamented about being sick while being self-employed. Today I shall whinge-first, then take action, regarding one more terrible plight of the solo entrepreneur: NO COMPANY CHRISTMAS PARTIES!

Of course, I of all people should be saying "Holiday" rather than Christmas, but "Company Christmas Party" just flows better. A few years back, I started throwing a little Christmakuh Party where I played music. It was super fun, so we are doing it again this year.

So, self-employed people of all ages, I invite you to the Self-Employed Holiday Party!

Wednesday, December 3
Great Flood Brewing Company
live music from me, @dancanon, and #stevecooley from 7p-9p

Of course, your company is responsible for buying drinks and snacks for its own employees. Sorry, my business is just Brigid Kaelin LLC, and that means hello-I-sing-and-write-for-a-living-aka-CASH-BAR! But the entertainment will be fierce and fun, and I shall bring cookies. You can bring your families.

Allow me to drift down memory lane to the three year period where I attended CBS company Christmas Parties. They never gave me health insurance, but they had open bar for a few hours once a year, which just meant that we young Assistant and Associate producers drank too much and then asked Mike Wallace to take group photos with us. He must have hated those parties. Ah, youth!

I've been sick this week. It's not been a debilitating illness though. To be honest, I've felt pretty good all week. The unfortunate part (for me, anyway) is that I've lost my voice. For a teacher and a singer, this is kind the worst. As a self-employed person, it is traumatic.

My new favorite place: The Little Clinic at Kroger.

I love it because it's cheap, easy, quick, convenient, and effective. But I also love it because it reminds me of life in Scotland.

Ah, Scotland's NHS... The house calls! midwives on bicycles! same-day service! free to all! I think my favorite part of all, however, was the sense of community. You see, I was free to register with any doctor I chose, so I, obviously, chose the doctors in my neighborhood. I would pop up the street when I was ill, wandering through the cobblestone streets by India Place and Circus Place (see photo!). So charming.

The Little Clinic isn't quite so charming, but it's just as effective. And isn't that what we want in a medical visit anyway? Outcomes? Health? We don't need to see the world's most preeminent ear canal researcher in order to prescribe antibiotics for a bad ear infection. We need someone with enough training to diagnose. It helps when said person is also kind and a fast-worker.

I, someone who rarely ever goes to the doctor, actually went to the Little Clinic on Sunday (they are open on Sundays!). Part of me regrets it because the diagnosis was "pharyngitis," which 1) I already knew I had, and 2) there's nothing to be done about it besides rest and hydration. But I'm also super glad I actually went to a medical office for myself -- I'm pretty sure I've only done that one other time in my adult life because it's so hard to get a same-day appointment if you're sick, not to mention how long you have to wait here, etc, etc. I'm going to stop talking now because I'm just getting all uptight about our wonky medical system in the US.

Anyway, long live the Little Clinic in Kroger! I'm glad you're there. I feel like I live in a real community when I can walk to the doctor/nurse practitioner's office. Also, I'm glad you're not a Starbucks (except now I want one of those red holiday cups).

It's a snow day here in Louisville! Ergo, I am searching David's company's job postings in Scotland, where there weather is better. In the mean time, I thought I'd re-print my favorite snow day activity for the little ones. I'd never heard of it until last winter, but it's pretty yummy.

Here's our recipe:


1/2 gallon snow ("not yellow or dirty snow," according to David, as if I was actually going to go collect yellow or dirty snow...)
1/2 cup sugar
2-3 tsp vanilla
a cup of milk


Mix it all together.

It's pretty good. To me it tastes like those strange milkshakes you could buy in the frozen food section back in the 1980s that you put in the microwave to prepare. Does anyone remember those? David thinks I'm making it up, but he's a few years younger than I am.

I took my 18-month-old to Europe for a month, and all we took was one carry-on suitcase.

I don't have a lot of useful skills, but I can pack like nobody's business. Travel is my forte, particularly airline travel. Road trips mean you can toss anything in at the last minute, no matter how lightly you are traveling -- a roll of paper towels, a huge bag of snacks, a few extra sweaters. Airline travel is different, and I love its limitations.

Remember that I am a professional musician, and I have traveled for months at a time, staying in everywhere from tour vans to couches to swanky hotels. I have picked up a lot of tips from my adventures, and lots of it is easy applicable to traveling with a toddler. I'm also not a zillionaire. I love public transportation, and I don't like pre-planned-vacation-packages. I plan out only what is necessary (plane tickets) and keep my options open. This means things usually go as planned because, well, there isn't much of a plan in the first place. 

Truthfully, all you really need is your passport and a credit card, right?

I'm working on another blog about sightseeing and other travel tips, but for today, I'm going to focus on packing.

A few bits of background info:

• We traveled from mid-March to mid-April in France and the United Kingdom.
• My kiddo was 18-months on the day we left Louisville.
• The weather averaged from mid-50s to mid-60s (a few days colder), so cool but mild.

Tips:

Our Ergo was the best thing I packed.

1. Think different when it comes to diaper bag. From a thrift store, I brought a turquoise hobobag with three large compartments. It doesn't look like a standard diaper bag, so it felt less frumpy on the streets of Paris (where everything can feel a bit frumpy compared to French women). It looks more like a purse than anything.
2. A small nylon backpack bag. You know what I'm talking about -- those little bags that are given away at fundraisers and such? I packed two of them, folded flat, for when I wanted a backpack or didn't want to carry the whole hobobag.
3. A baby carrier. When he was little, we loved the Moby, but we've been an Ergo family since he turned one. He can ride on the front or the back, and he sleeps in it. I wore him most of the trip, even though I had brought along a stroller too.
4. Ditch the stroller. I brought a stroller, and this was my big mistake. I did use it a few times, but I think in the end it was more trouble than it was worth. It was just a small umbrella stroller, but those wheels are horrible on the ancient and busy streets of Europe. The days where I just strapped him on my back were a lot easier for me -- even though he was 27lbs at the time. The Paris Metro is not stroller-friendly, having sometimes over 60 steps (yes, we counted them because every moment is a learning moment). We climbed Sacre Coeur with him in the Ergo, and it was spectacular. It was nice for talking and bonding because he was at eye level with me rather than facing the opposite direction in a stroller. Anyway, next time I might consider buying a cheap stroller once I arrived to a place I would be for a while. But I value my one free hand more than I value the stroller.
5. Lace underwear. Obviously, this was not a romantic trip, but lace underwear nonetheless. For you, not your kiddo:) I brought 5 pair, which is 2 more than my suggested minimum. Why? Lace underwear is easy to wash in a sink and dries very quickly.
6. Disposable diapers. We use mostly cloth diapers at home, but I tried not to think about the pile of garbage three times the size of Texas in the Pacific ocean and went disposable for this trip.
7. Only pack diapers for the first day. I only brought 10 diapers with me for flight. There are babies all over the world, so obviously you can buy diapers when you arrive at your destination.

Reusable stickers we bought at the airport.

8. Rent an apartment, not a hotel. Use Airbnb or VRBO or a similar site to find an apartment. Odds are it'll be cheaper, better located, and more equipped (read: a washing machine!) than any hotel.
9. Don't bring many toys. We brought two small toy cars (he was really into playing "WRECK!" at the time). At the airport, we bought a pack of reusable stickers. The newness of the stickers held his attention, and it didn't take up much room. You'll want to buy souvenirs on your trip anyway. Speaking of...
10. Check a bag on the way home. We bought a dufflebag from a thrift store, so we weren't worried about collecting souvenirs. We actually ended up bringing an entire Thomas the Tank Engine train set home that we bought used from the 7-year-old boy who lived in the apartment next door. (He also loaned us LOADS of great toys while we were there.)
11. Black or brown. More on packing clothes later, but choose black or brown. Stick to that color scheme when you are packing, and everything will match.
12. Wear your biggest clothes on the plane. I brought some knee-high boots. They would have taken up half my carry-on. Wear them on the plane. Yes, you have to take them off at security, but it's not a big deal. You're already the one with a toddler, so you're not in the Expert Travel line. I also wore my coat on the plane, which was good to use as a pillow/blanket while trying to catch some sleep.
13. Extra shoulder luggage strap. My hobobag didn't have a large across-your-chest strap, so I brought a detachable one. This meant I could strap my toddler in the Ergo, roll the suitcase behind me, place the purse/diaper-bag across my chest, and still have one hand free to roll the stroller (that I wish I had never brought). There is probably a way to strap the stroller to the carry-on without using duct tape, but we weren't able to figure it out (despite several attempts).

So these are my broad tips, but I'm also going to tell you exactly what I packed in our carryon and some tips on the actual folding, etc. Apparently people out there don't believe it's possible to travel for a month for themselves in just a carry-on, much less a toddler's things too. This blog is long enough though. When I finish the What We Packed blog, I'll post a link here. Now, start daydreaming about taking your next vacation.