f.a.q.
//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. historically it is not my favorite nickname. in fact, i kind of hate it. i don't even like it when people call me nat. (so, don't call me nat, please.) as kind of a joke to myself i called my blog 'nat the fat rat' as a way of coming to terms with it. maybe it wasn't the best idea. it's still not my favorite nickname. but it sure is catchy!
//is your baby's name really huck?
my baby's name is henry august. i 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.
//what made you start this blog? why do you keep blogging? what's this blog about, aflie?
so, 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 wife and person, and for a tangible record of all the beautiful and silly and wonderful and little things in our lives, 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 in their struggles as well. emails i've received from my readers have meant the world for 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.
//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, but once i starting using it on the blog i stopped using it in person and it took on a life of its own. 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 that i'm still incredibly intimidated by. i also use the instagram and pudding camera apps on my iphone a lot. the pudding camera app is in korean, so i really have no idea if i'm using it correctly. if i ever do any editing it's just the basic stuff in iPhoto or on picnik.com. it's probably safe to say my photography skills could use some work!
//what should we do while we're in new york city?
you are so in luck! i wrote all about it 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!
//what are the best red lipsticks you've found?
a few years ago i went through a major red lipstick phase and got a lot of questions about how to wear a red lip. while wearing makeup isn't exactly difficult (lipstick isn't heavy or anything), red lips do seem to be emotionally taxing. i have my theories.
i wrote some red lipstick advice here. the long and short of it is: mac ruby woo, and wear it five times in public before you give up on it.
//are you still posting at nat nests?
since i moved into an apartment big enough to actually cook and eat things in, yes! i've incorporated it back into the blog, and you can read all my nat nests posts here!
//are you still doing onesie-twosie?
i'm not, but that was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?
//your eye make up is lovely! any tips/techniques/product recommendations? -kelly
thanks kelly! i use black liquid eyeliner on the top for a little cat-eye (right now i'm using almay, anything with a felt tip is easiest). i often line my lower water-line if i'm going for drama. i swear by cover girl lash blast mascara in the orange tube, lots of coats. and curl your lashes first. and if i remember to wear eyeshadow it's usually the cheapest shimmery taupe color i can find.
no joking, one time at christmas while my sisters and i were all putting on make up in the bathroom together, amanda turned to me and said, "you have such pretty eyelashes, considering they are so short and stumpy," so i consider this a major compliment. :)
//are you wearing a calculator watch? - jennifer
dude yes and i love it! 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 a flag! it's a nautical flag, and 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.
//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 rate and package 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.
//what is the significance behind your rings?
i get asked this one a lot, actually! 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 ring resized. he got me a matching one, so it would still mean something. which i thought was actually really cute in that "boys are sometimes so weird" kind of way. so 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.
on my right hand i wear a stack of mismatched gold rings. a vintage signet ring (h for henry) that i found while pregnant at a street fair in little italy, and another one with an n, a gold and silver knot ring that i bought at a craft fair in pullman, washington.
//do you have a job?
i do. i am a full-time mother, a job which i take very seriously (which, sadly, some people don't find terribly important), and on the side i do freelance writing for a few websites, such as babble. since i was sixteen i have never been without employment, and i have done my best to support our family while my husband attended his five years of grad school. i sure do love getting this question.
// and now, a disclaimer
friends. i do not take myself seriously in this blog. i take myself plenty seriously in my real life. this blog is a place for fun. any time i go on and on about silly ridiculous things in here, 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.
have any questions?
ask away!
natthefatrat{at}gmail{dot}com
