Category: parenting

What To Expect When You’re Expecting {Movie Review}

When I saw a trailer for What to Expect When You’re Expecting months ago I thought it looked cute, but I also thought it was mostly about a bunch of yuppie friends who expressed disdain for parenthood until they accidentally got pregnant. So that’s not what it’s about at all. It’s actually five couples in almost completely separate plot lines who all seem to relish being in the family way. Sorta like Valentine’s Day but for the mom demographic.

The movie has a really great cast with standout performances by Elizabeth Banks and Rebel Wilson. Jennifer Lopez is good but not too unlike most of her other roles and Chris Rock is fantastic being…well…Chris Rock. Anna Kendrick is pretty terrific but that’s no surprise if you’ve seen Up In The Air. Cameron Diaz is pretty much an extra muscular version of herself and Dennis Quaid is hilariously obnoxious. Chace Crawford is positively yummy. 
From the first minute of the movie I was laughing and I didn’t stop for another half hour at least. Having experienced the joys of pregnancy before there was so much I could relate to. The dads group scenes were by far the funniest, which is why, I’m sure, they focused on those so much in the trailer even though they are not main characters in the film. They served a really important role though, other than humor, and in the end I wanted to applaud their praise of fatherhood. 

I don’t want to give away too much of the movie but there are some really important scenes and dialogue that may touch some raw nerves in many mothers or wishful mothers. Keeping in mind that it’s only a two hour movie with five stories to tell, I’m glad they covered as much ground as they did, though many complex issues had to be simplified. 
The movie definitely simplified and took poetic license with the process of international adoption, but I’m so glad they gave it so much focus in this movie. Other than making it look too easy and a very unrealistic “gotcha day” scene, the movie did justice to adoptive families. I loved how it explored the couple dynamics and the emotional roller coaster of adoption right along with the other pregnancies. Of course the Ethiopian babies are absolutely precious. 

Oh and this movie has a fantastic soundtrack too, if you ask me. Yeah, a good soundtrack can make a movie ya know. 

So as a mom who knows a thing or two about trying to conceive, pregnancy, birth and adoption, I could not have liked this movie more. Well ok, maybe if all the couples were married I would have liked it more, but that wouldn’t be very realistic would it? Yes and I did have to suspend my critical nature for some rather unrealistic moments but hey…it’s a comedy. I would definitely see it again. 

Just Between Friends Consignment Sales Rock

For the past week or so I have been busily rounding up outgrown clothing, toys, books and videos from all over my house. Every spring and fall I consign all these things at the Just Between Friends Sale for Sugar Land/Rosenberg. This event takes place over three days and brings together boatloads of great gently used merchandise for bargain basement prices. I started doing this back in Philly when my own local MOPS group hosted their own resale event and I realized what a goldmine these sales are, both for buyers and sellers. They are very lucrative fundraisers for the organizing host too.

Last week I took all the rounded up toys and clothes and piled them up near my computer and one by one I cleaned them up, made sure all the pieces were together, and carefully entered a description and price into the tagging database. I price everything to move but also to maximize my profit. My collared shirts might be $4.00 and an outfit from Gymboree with shirt and shorts might be $8.00. Certainly less than I paid for them but I also got good use out of them for one season. Maybe two if both boys wore it.

My biggest issue is finding enough hangers for the heaps and heaps of clothing I sell. I prefer not to use wire hangers since they tend to get tangled up on racks and the clothes don’t present well. Consigning clothing is very much about the presentation so I take a minute to button every single button and pair up tops and bottoms into outfits that really look cute. I’ve even learned to pin tags on in ways that don’t leave behind obvious pinholes. The little things matter to shoppers.

It always blows my mind how much clothing I have in one size because I buy incredible bargains at outlets and consignment sales. It’s a little ridiculous, but I do buy with resale in mind, knowing that if I find a Gymboree shirt for $3.99 I will likely be able to sell it for at least that if Alex can keep it clean. Of course not everything ends up resellable. Lots of ripped jeans and stained shirts must be donated to Goodwill instead, but most things are kept in good condition. Goodwill gives a nice tax write-off too.

Preparing my stuff for the sale isn’t really a ton of work now that I’ve done it for years. I can do it while I’m watching TV at night over a few days.

But is it worth it? That’s the big question every asks. Most people I know think it’s too much trouble.

At the end of the average sale I usually get a check for somewhere around $200, not to mention a huge amount of extra closet space.

This year? I’ve got almost $900 worth of stuff tagged but I know not everything well sell. I get 65% of what does sell. It’s 70% if I volunteer a shift but this week with Run 4 the Children I had no time to volunteer. So last night was the Pre-Sale…a few hours when only volunteers and consignors are allowed to shop. I logged in this morning to check my sales report and was shocked to see that I had sold $325 worth of stuff. That’s also less than half of my total items so with three days left I expect to sell the vast majority of my things. So I have *already* earned $200 and my check will only grow from there.

Worth it? Absolutely.