Making your own baby food--Green Beans

I'm a cheater. I readily admit it. Okay, so I don't really cheat, but I will make some adjustments to my usual baby-food-making-methods in order to make things as efficient as possible.

So......you know those "steam-in-the-bag" veggies that you can buy at the store?? I buy them, I cook them, I puree them, I freeze them, I re-heat them, and I serve them to Boo.
And you know, she's never once said to me, "No thanks, Mama, those aren't home grown 100% organic green beans." Although she does occasionally say, "Here, Mama, let ME do the spoon."

I haven't tried it, but I bet this would work with peas & other veggies that come in those bags, too! Best of luck!

Good bye, Grandma Trusty

Matt's great-grandmother passed away last week. Her funeral is today and I thought I would take a moment to pause and reflect on this 90 year life. During that time, her most significant accomplishments were those of a wife and mother. One of her children had special needs and a large portion of her life was dedicated to caring for this child. I rejoice in her passing, for she is a child of God. May her life be a reminder to all of us of the bittersweet transition from life to death--though the sorrow may last for a night, His joy comes with the morning. Welcome home, Grandma.

2 hands, separated by 5 generations

Making your own baby food--Step Three

We've mastered bananas & pears, and you've probably figured out by now that the fruits are easy. Basically, you peal, dice & puree. That'll get you pears, apricots, peaches.........pretty much you name it, you can puree it. Except for apples. Here's how you make baby apples:

Seriously. Save the money. Buy a jar of applesauce. If you're concerned about diluting it, throw in a little baby oatmeal and some water.

Tips on Tuesday--Toy Cycle

My friend, Molly's house always looks amazing. The last time I was there (which was waaaaay too long ago, Molly) I looked around and thought "Why can't my house look like this?"

I'll tell you why: Molly's house isn't full of a bunch of crap.

Nice work, Molly.

My house, however, is, at times, full of a bunch of crap. Way too many toys, way too much laundry, way too much paper.....I'm getting away from myself, we're here to talk about toys.

Jack & Bailey have very generous parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents, adopted grandparents, second-cousins-once-removed, friends....you get the idea. They also have more toys than 10 kids could play with in during the average baby/childhood.Now, some people would say, just get rid of extra toys that you don't want/need. But honestly, how could I do that? How could I choose between the doll Matt & I got Bailey for Christmas and the one her grandmother got her?? How could I make Jack choose between the sorting set he bought with his very own allowance money when he was all of 9 months old and the wooden one his Popsy bought him special for his first birthday?? I can't--maybe you can. Good for you!

So I invented the "toy cycle" or, rather, my mother invented it 20-some-odd years ago. Anyway, I gave each toy a partner--a toy of a similar use, purpose and approximate size--and put half of the "partners" away.

So, what I have gained is:
1) Space in my cabinets
2) "Brand new" toys that I can get out (trade out) on a rainy or snowy day
3) The ability to hang on to--and use--some of these generous gifts

There's something precious about a child's toys--and if you don't believe me, then YOU watch Toy Story (1, 2 or 3) and try not to cry!

P.S. For the record, I have been eying the "baby" toys and making a mental list of ones we're officially ready to pass on to another family. See, I'm not all sentimental!!

Making your own baby food--Step Two

So you made bananas?? Good for you. I hope that your baby liked them! Now it's time for step two--pears.

Pears are easy. Peal the pear--I use a vegetable pealer. I'm pretty sure my mother told me NOT to do this, but no harm has ever come to me, the kiddos, or the pears, as far as I can tell :)

Anyway, peal the pear and slice it into small pieces--maybe about an inch. I love my glass cutting board for this step. Isn't it pretty? Throw the pieces into the blender with very little water and puree.

Pears are naturally full of water, so they REALLY don't need for you to add much. You will need to add a little to get things moving, but, trust me, it's very little. You can always add more water if you need to and you'll get better at knowing how much to add.

What if you accidentally add too much water?? No problem. Do you have a couple of graham crackers laying around?? Toss those in there--it will thicken right up. What if they're cinnamon flavored? So much the better :)

Also, now's a good time to talk about spices. It's never too early to introduce your child to the wonderful world of spices. Toss a little cinnamon in with your pears, throw a little nutmeg in with the bananas. Be creative. Now's the time to build up you baby's palate to crave good, healthy things like spices. Jack loved squash with cinnamon. Does it automatically mean that your baby will grow into an adventurous eating toddler? Unfortunately, no. But it can't hurt, right??

Tips on Tuesday--Dressing a Girl

When I was (early) pregnant with Jackson I was sure he was a girl--my brother said he was a boy, and I'll never live that down, I'm sure. I was wrong and Jackson isn't just a boy, he's all boy, and has been since day one.

Turns out, this was a good thing for me. I was good at dressing him--he always looked adorable. I quickly learned to dress him in all blue-all the time-and, for the most part, he wore onesies for the first 5 months of his life (it was a warm fall).

I quickly learned that dressing a boy isn't easy. There is about a 1:5 ratio of boy-to-girl clothes in most stores. Weed through the stuff my husband would kill me if I put on him, take out baby gansta clothes and the pickins were slim. Diligence paid off, though, and was soon dressing my little Jack like a pro. The following photos are some examples of how good I was at dressing my son:

Isn't he adorable??

I got my girl the second time around and I was all set for ribbons and bows and pink, pink, pink. As it turns out, I was much better at having (or at least dressing) my boy. Her first "dress up" occassion (the symphony with Mommy & Nana) I brought the dress and the panties, but no shoes and no bow. I managed to forget the camera, too. Whoops. I don't think my mother's entirely forgiven me. I've also been known to bring her to church with her teeny panty hose slithering down her weensie legs. How do you make those things stay on???

Needless to say, my Tip for Tuesday, obviously, is one I got from someone else. Michelle Wallace, to be exact. Thanks, Michelle, for all the adorable clothes you've given Bailey and for helping this hopeless mama learn to dress her baby girl.

First, put on the diaper--please, don't forget the diaper!

Second, the pantyhose. Or tights. Whatever they're called.

Third, and this is the important part--the onesie.
It'll add to the modesty and/or warmth factor, too.

Fourth, the little panties. These just slay me every time--too cute!

Feel free to garnish with bows & accessories.