misosouper, a shopping blog

Happy holiday hangover, internets.  Are we tired and broke yet?

Two posts are up today, both featuring cheap and easy ways to ease the post-partyum.

From our smart friends at TheFind:

image via Real Simple

What to do with all of the greeting cards filled with holiday joy after Santa has come and gone? Rather than toss the cards into the recycling bin consider donating your holiday greeting cards to St. Jude’s Ranch. The 30-year tradition of the St. Jude’s Ranch recycled card program supports the efforts of the children who live at the ranch and that of donors who purchase the recycled “green” greeting cards. The program also educates children on the importance of recycling and they also receive payment for their work with the help of volunteers.

To donate cards send your all occasion cards from November 15, 2009 – February 28, 2010 to this address:

St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude’s Street – Boulder City, NV 89005

The program accepts all types of cards including Thank You cards, Easter cards, and all occasion cards. I’ll be sending all of the greeting cards collected during my New Years home organization and cleaning projects!

Because of yesterday’s post, I’ve been labeled–accurately, I suppose–a Scrooge.

But my cold’s a little better today, so the pendulum’s swinging toward cheerful absurdity:  I topped Daughter #1 with a two-years-too-tight BlaBla panda hat, and dressed Daughter #2 in a Baby Lulu jumpsuit that makes her look like the Hawaiian Elvis who downed one too many mango/peanut butter sandwiches.

This Flensted mobile is the most buoyant, happy decoration I could find.  Its pixies blithely glide through an evergreen forest, oblivious to the holiday machinations below.  Serenity now, people.

Wednesday is my birthday, Friday is Christmas, Saturday is a wedding.

And I’m sick–as in the most fun I’m going to have this week is Snuggie-wallowing on the couch, watching “Say Yes to the Dress.”

Can you blame me for feeling misanthropic?

While I’m down for the count, I fully plan on chronicling my list of grievous injuries in my Knock Knock “In My Humble Opinion” journal.  Because all of you, with your germs and squirms and general gross humanity, did this to me.  And I won’t soon forget it.

Love this!

I was searching for a kitchen timer as a gift for my mom. Both she and I are huge Alessi fans and I wanted to contribute to her collection. She loves the “Salif” Philippe Stark designed juicer I gave her a years ago. You know the one, it looks like a long legged aluminum spider from outer space. It actually does a fine job of juicing and makes a nice job of adding a touch of whimsy to your counter top. I ended up buying the Michael Graves timer, but wish I would have went with the Josephine Banana design instead.

The Alessi Josephine Banana Kitchen Timer is an adorable little cheeky monkey from the OrienTales collection. OrienTales is an ongoing collaboration between designer Stefano Giovannoni and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. The project brings the charm and wit of 18th century trinkets into products that are functional and contemporary. The kitchen timer features a mechanical timer and is made from hand decorated thermoplastic resin.

I can’t stop with the butt posts.  It’s a disease.

Ignore that, and trust me when I say that after discovering this chair on Overstock, it has shot to the top of my Christmas wish list.  I’ve ridden religiously on my exercise ball throughout my two pregnancies and beyond, so to discover an exercise ball chair that looks as adorable as a bar stool aboard a V ship is thrilling indeed.

The fact that you can strengthen your core while bouncing to Ace of Base and writing blog posts?  You can’t put a price on sitness, people.