welcome! my name is natalie. happiness curator, lover of anne of green gables. i'm a hopeless optimist and prodigious over-exaggerator living in a tiny apartment in new york city with my husband brandon and my fat baby henry august (we call him huck). this blog is a love letter from my family to new york city, and where i capture all the lovely little things that make up a wonderful life. i watch a lot of meg ryan movies.
you can contact me at natthefatrat @ gmail . com.
you can contact me at natthefatrat @ gmail . com.
here are some frequently asked questions...
//why are you called nat the fat rat?
nat the fat rat is the nickname i was given by my uncle james when i was a couple months old. i was a very, very chubby baby. it is not my favorite nickname. in fact, i kind of hate it. i don't like it when people call me nat. (so, don't call me nat, please.) when i started the blog it was the only name that kept coming to me. so here we are!
//is your baby's name really huck?
my baby's name is henry august. i do call him huck. especially when he is behaving particularly huckishly. sometimes i call him huckleberry. brandon calls him henny, or henny penny. sometimes i call him bug. or bubba. when he cries and i try to soothe him i call him hen. i have a problem sticking to nicknames.
// where did you get that baseball tee/those wedges/your watch etc etc etc ???
i don't consider myself a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, but i do love getting dressed, and i'm always flattered when readers want to know where i picked up something. since i end up fielding these questions A LOT, i started a little page on the blog with a list of links to the more popular items. you can find it HERE. and for those who are all, "this isn't a fashion blog quit trying so hard!" i say, i know! it's not and i don't! i've taken a few opportunities that sounded like fun and i not take any of this seriously. maybe if i did take it seriously you wouldn't think i was trying so hard to take it so seriously? i don't know. deep questions.
//what made you start this blog? why do you keep blogging?
(it turns out i answered this question quite by accident way back in 2008 in this post here. and then i answered this question more on purpose style just this year in this guest post here.)
this blog is for myself and my family first and foremost, for keeping a little record of who i am as a mother and a wife, and for a tangible record of all the beautiful little things in my life that i love, but i have also been lucky enough to have a wonderful group of readers who support me and care for me. i absolutely adore blogging and the friendships i've made! my readers have been with me through so much-- infertility, moving (many times), financial hardships--and in turn i've been lucky enough to be there for my readers as well. emails i've received from my readers have meant the world to me. i take my readers' trust very seriously. i am also lucky enough to be able to help pay off some of our (fairly impressive) student debts through this blog. i am so appreciative of how enormously fortunate i am, and i don't take any of it for granted.
//what does the holbs do?
brandon is a tax attorney. he does transfer pricing in the international tax group of a big four accounting firm here in the city.
//why do you call him "the holbs?"
holbs is short for holbrook, which is our last name. i started using it on the blog back when nobody referred to their spouse by their real name. it was an old nickname of ours from when we were dating and first married. these days it's here and there on the blog, because i am too lazy to stick with anything for too long.
//what camera do you use?
i have a canon eos digital rebel xsi, but i'd love a real heavy duty mark 2. hah, in my dreams. i also use the instagram and vsco cam apps on my iphone. if i ever do any editing it's just the basic stuff in iPhoto. it's probably safe to say my editing skills could use some work!
//are you accepting sponsors? how about doing product reviews or giveaways?
i am accepting sponsors, thanks for asking! contact me at natthefatrat{at}gmail{dot}com for rates and information. if you are a sponsor and your product is a good fit for my readers, i would be honored to host a giveaway. at this time i am not doing product reviews or sponsored posts written by third parties.
//what should we do while we're in new york city?
there is so much to do in the city! i wrote about my favorite touristy things to do right here. i also have an entire section of the blog dedicated to the fun things we do around the city, in case it inspires your vacation planning!
//are you wearing a calculator watch? - jennifer
dude yes! i have two casio models and i wear them constantly. i bought my first casio when i was working at an engineering firm as a graphic designer and all these fantastic nerds were wearing theirs like it was no big deal and i was just so jealous. i bought a second for the holbs, the full calculator style, and i like to steal it from him when he's not looking. all the cool kids wear calculator watches, you know.
//what exactly is this supposed to be about??? you start off strong, and then suddenly you'll drift off into nonsensical words and end with baby pictures! -anonymous
i know, right?
//is that a flag above your couch? -charlotte
hi charlotte! it is! it's a nautical flag, we found it at the brooklyn flea market when we first moved back to the city. it's called "charlie" (all nautical flags have proper names, isn't that delightful?) and it is the flag you would fly to communicate "change of course" or "affirmative." we had to have it because by moving to nyc again we were basically saying "affirmative!" to a huge "change of course." we love our flag because it symbolizes positivity, openness, and courage.
//what is the horror of the zebra head mounted above the crib? - chuck
his name is larry, chuck. short for lawrence of arabia. he came from anthropologie as a gift from my mother, and he is rad, chuck. r-a-d. (he now lives in the kitchen!)
//what is the significance behind your rings?
well, first there is my engagement ring, then there is my wedding band. and then there is my other wedding band. i got the other band because brandon was working the night shift at costco when we were first married, and from all the lifting and packing, his hands were about a size and half bigger than normal. when he quit costco and went to work at a desk job, his hands shrunk and his wedding band no longer fit. on a whim he bought himself a silver band from a mall kiosk for $9 rather than spend the money to have his real ring resized, and while he was there he got me one to match. i've worn it with my other rings ever since. you could say we renewed our vows that day, sort of. in the mall. six months into it. i added an h signet ring in 2010. just for kicks.
// do you have a job?
i do. i am a full-time mom, a job which i take very seriously (sadly, some people don't consider it an actual job), and on the side i do freelance writing. since i was sixteen i have never been without employment, and i have done my best to support my family while my husband attended five years of grad school. i sure do love getting this question.
// a quick note about email
one of the most rewarding things about blogging has been emails from readers. oh i am just so honored to receive them. they mean so much to me and some days they're the only thing that keeps me going. i want more than anything to be able to respond to every single one. you all deserve a thoughtful, personal response from me. it has gotten harder and harder for me to get to them, and though i am trying my best, i can't always respond. with the deadlines i'm struggling to make, and the baby boy who needs my attention, i have very little time to spare on the computer. but i want you to know that your emails are treasures. if you've emailed me and it's been months and you still haven't heard back, please know that i did read it, and that it did mean the whole world to me. i do hope you understand.
if you have a quick question, the best way to reach me is through twitter. somehow responding to tweets fills me with far less anxiety ;).
// a quick note about email
one of the most rewarding things about blogging has been emails from readers. oh i am just so honored to receive them. they mean so much to me and some days they're the only thing that keeps me going. i want more than anything to be able to respond to every single one. you all deserve a thoughtful, personal response from me. it has gotten harder and harder for me to get to them, and though i am trying my best, i can't always respond. with the deadlines i'm struggling to make, and the baby boy who needs my attention, i have very little time to spare on the computer. but i want you to know that your emails are treasures. if you've emailed me and it's been months and you still haven't heard back, please know that i did read it, and that it did mean the whole world to me. i do hope you understand.
if you have a quick question, the best way to reach me is through twitter. somehow responding to tweets fills me with far less anxiety ;).
//and now, a disclaimer
friends. i try not to take myself seriously in this blog. i take myself and my family plenty seriously in my real life. this blog is a place for fun. any time i go on and on about silly ridiculous things, you can rest assured that i am in on the joke. because i write this blog to preserve the lovely little things in life, i will delete any negative, hurtful, or outlandishly mean-spirited comments.
ask away!
natthefatrat{at}gmail{dot}com
