Adventures in Baby Food (the healthy way)

When Olive was a baby and first started eating table foods, I played it safe and simple and bought lots of Gerber foods, with a few Beech-Nut thrown in for good measure.

Now that Buttons is eating real food, I am approaching things much differently. I have been making a lot of her food myself. I didn't do this the first time because I was intimidated and, well, lazy. I thought it would be much harder than it is so I didn't bother. I know now that I can simply make some extra of whatever we're eating (sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes, peas, etc etc.) and pop it in the blender with some water, pour it in an ice cube tray, and voila!! Meals for days!! How easy is that?! So I've been trying to make some foods for Buttons so as much as possible, she can eat what we're eating, especially since that's what she'll be eating when she can tolerate chunkier foods and the peas that we eat taste nothing at all like the peas that Gerber sells. A friend recently recommended a website with lots of guidelines, recipes etc on it for making your own baby food. I haven't really explored it yet but the site is called Wholesome Baby Food and looks to be very promising.

As satisfying as it is to make your own baby food, there are times when you need a little help. Enter Sprout baby food (it's like takeout for babies!) Sprout food is organic, tasty, and different. I like that it's organic - that's phenomenal. But on top of that, there are so many other good attributes. The recipes are different and unusual combinations that leave baby begging for more. The roasted bananas and brown rice is a bit hit at my house (even with Olive and me too!) as well as the oatmeal with roasted cinnamon applesauce. The green beans and peas are interesting as they are mixed with mint (who'd have thunk it?) We are still fairly new to Sprout and still trying out the various flavors. Another neat thing about Sprout is that they are packaged in resealable pouches instead of cans or plastic containers. This makes them the perfect meal to throw in your diaper bag for lunch on the go. It is also an eco-conscious idea because it reduces the space it takes for shipping, therefore reducing the number of boxes needed to ship a certain amount. Another thing I am thrilled about with Sprout is that they offer a monthly subscription on their website where you can tailor your order to your baby's tastes (and change it monthly) and have it delivered right to your house!!! How great is that?! Genius, I tell you. Pure genius. I will certainly do this after the sale on Sprout at my local Publix grocery store is over ;-)

So there you have it...simple ways to feed your baby nutritious and wholesome meals while still making life easy on you. Nourishing your baby and watching him enjoy new foods should be fun and stress-free. Now it is. :)

Olive is 3

Wow, how time flies....

Olive turned 3 a couple of weeks ago. I'm still in disbelief that my little bitty baby could already be three years old but I'll say, so far so good. We had a family brunch on her actual birthday, which was a lot of fun. Then this past weekend, we did a party with a bunch of her little friends from school. What an amazing group of 3 year olds!! We also had a couple of other friends join us and it was great. I couldn't have asked for anything better!

Today I took Olive to the pediatrician for her three year checkup. Did I mention that I LOVE my new ped?? She is great. She too is a mother, which means so much to me. She is very caring but also very matter-of-fact. She gives it to me straight, tells me what I need to hear and how to do it without being condescending or judgmental about the way I do things. Sometimes I know what I need to do (a little extra "tough love") but she tells me WHY I should do it and how important it is. For me, it is validation for being what sometimes feels like a "mean mommy". So after seeing her today, I must say I feel really empowered. In control. Ready to tackle the next toddler tantrum. (well, ok, I am not exactly looking forward to the last one but I know it will happen sooner or later...)

So we started right away...I limited Olive's milk intake to 2 cups today and gave her unlimited water. I fed her dinner with no extra options and she could eat what she wanted and when dinner was over, I put the food away. I put her to bed a little earlier. I fed her a full-sized vitamin. Tomorrow we will tackle our 1-2 hour nap/quiet time (she's been "resting" in her room for about 20-30 minutes, if I'm lucky). The list continues...

I think I even feel empowered enough to take her advice on Baby Bit too and move her upstairs tonight to her own room. Maybe. But she did sleep all night last night (9-6:45) in the Pack n Play in our room, all nice and swaddled. But tonight she fell asleep early so I will have to wake her to feed her again...maybe I will wait until another night... maybe tomorrow.... this is becoming a stream of conciousness...I should probably go to bed myself. Night night!!!

Spring Cleaning (or Nesting??)

I'm hit with the sudden urge to purge.

I'm ready to clean my house top to bottom, both with cleaning and cleaning out. I am giving away and throwing away and organizing. I'm not sure if it's spring cleaning or nesting or a little of both but I'm antsy and anxious. I've got closets to clean, rooms to organize, toys to toss.

In my quest for clean, there are a few products that I really like and thought I'd share. Now, I'm always looking for a cleaner and healthier way to clean my house so if you have a greener option, please post because I'd love to hear it.

The other day I cleaned out my oven because there was something nasty that had spilled over and was making my oven smoke each time I used it (and hence setting off the smoke alarm). I had avoided doing this because I am pregnant and probably shouldn't be cleaning the oven but this product claimed to be "fume free" (yet Lemon scented, hmmm??) Anyway, I used it and let it sit for a long time (2 hours) and I have to say, it did a pretty good job on my oven. It was FAR from fume free though - my house smelled like lemon the rest of the day. But it did the job.

Aaah...the magic eraser...this works for just about anything! I have been using it lately to scrub baseboards, Olive's table (that often ends up with food or crayon on it), the backs of doors covered in pencil, the mysterious part of our French doors that all have a streak on them, and (you'll never believe this!) for pen on a computer screen?!?!!? That's right, Olive decided at one point to take a pen to the computer screen. I thought it was a lost cause but Dennis did a little research and heard that the Magic Eraser was a great resource and IT WORKED! This thing truly is magic...

Tide To Go - I keep this in my car for "on-the-go" spills but find I rarely use it. Last week, Olive and I were eating strawberries and some juice ended up on my very light khakis. I couldn't find one of these in the house so I just went about my business. Later that afternoon, I remembered that I had it in my car and while I was out, I doctored up my pants, thinking it probably wouldn't work since it had been many hours before that when the stain was created but it did! It ALL came out. The downside: the smell of this stuff made me want to pass out but it did clean my clothes just like in the commercial.

Do you have any great finds??

Strides for Success

Are you a runner, jogger, or walker? Do you enjoy helping women and children?

Come join us for the Strides for Success 5K & 1K Fun Run/Walk on Sunday, April 26th, 2009 at Fairfax Corner Shopping Center (11950 Grand Commons Avenue) in Fairfax, VA. This event is put on by the Junior League of Northern Virginia and proceeds go to benefit women and children in the Northern Virginia area through various outreach projects such as our Back to School Health Fairs, JamPacks (stuffing backpacks for kids who wouldn't have school supplies), shelter projects, and a partnership with the Children's Science Center, among many other things.

The event is lots of fun and features two separate races - a 5K and also a 1K Fun Run/Walk. Strollers are welcome in the 1K only but sorry, no dogs or headphones allowed. Last year, Olive and I did the 1K Fun Run and let me tell you, it was FUN!

Registration Information: 5K: $30 through April 20; after April 20 the fee is $35.
5K Children 10 and under - $15.00
1K Fun Run/Walk: $20.
Children 10 and under $15.

This year, I am much too big to participate so I'll be volunteering instead. This is a great event with lots of fun for the whole family. There is also a post-race brunch and a tent with children's events. The 5K starts at 9:00am, the 1K will start shortly thereafter, around 9:15am.

For more information, please visit http://www.runwashington.com/archive0209/features/stridesforsuccessinfo.html# where you can register.

Hope to see you there!

The Joys of Pregnancy

I am really blossoming.

As you can see, little baby girl #2 is growing like a weed (and so am I!) I will be 27 weeks along tomorrow (almost to the end of my second trimester, yikes!) with an estimated due date sometime around July 1st.

This pregnancy has been different in every way, which is why Dennis and I were convinced that it was a boy (two ultrasounds have said differently though so looks like it will be another sweet little girl). When I was pregnant with Olive, it was all very glamorous (ok, so not all glamorous, but more so). I had a desk job with a stool under my desk to prop up my feet. I could rest all the time, eat even more of the time, and come home and go to bed after work. This go round, my main job is taking care of Olive, an active 2 year old with her own agenda. She doesn't care that I'd rather be lying on the couch with my feet propped up and dozing in and out while reading pregnancy books. Nope, she doesn't care, and she doesn't slow down for anything.

So this time, pregnancy has been much less glamorous. And I've had all the yucky side effects that I didn't have the first time. For example, with Olive, I was "glowing" - this time, I am zitty and yucky. More nausea (which I'm just now starting to get over, but not completely, I still had to take my prescribed anti-nausea meds the other day). Varicose veins popping up everywhere. (eww) Feeling contractions and discomfort for months. And lots of other too-intimate details to share but let me just tell you that it hasn't been pretty. On top of this, I am so preoccupied by other things that I haven't had as much time to dwell on the idea of being pregnant and this beautiful little creature growing inside. When someone asks me how far along I am, I say, "uh, I don't know, I'm due around July 1st" (I had to look at my calendar to try to calculate for this post). I haven't read the weekly pregnancy books in a very long time (we used to do this religiously with Olive). I also took weekly progress pics of my belly the first time and while I'm doing that now, there are often several weeks that go by without pictures. My doctor reassures me that this is normal and actually a healthier way to parent, where you're not so overly concerned about everything. I guess he's right, but I still feel sort of bad...However, as we creep ever closer to D-day (Delivery Day), I am getting more and more excited to meet this girl and I know that it will all be worth it.

Anyone out there had totally different experiences with pregnancy? The good, the bad, the ugly? I'd love to hear...

**Apologies for the giant picture...this was as small as I could get it. It's probably big enough for you to visually see all my flaws.

Dealing with food allergies

In October, just a few days before I found out I was pregnant with #2, we learned that Olive has food allergies. (It was a big week around here!) Dealing with this has been really frustrating - it's a minefield of food avoidance and it's absolutely not clear how to do things. Every person has a different opinion. There are so many resources out there but they are hard to find and many of them differ in their recommendations. Our initial meeting with an allergist only left me more confused than before. We're currently searching for a new one who can maybe help clarify some things for me but until then, we've learned to "cope" as best as we can. The problem lies in the ignorance of other people, including those whose own children have food allergies. Most people don't know these things and I wouldn't expect them to. I wouldn't expect everyone to have to cater to my child but there are a few things that everyone should know to help keep kids safe. Someone directed me to this great website with a title - "10 Things Families With Food Allergies Want You to Know". Take the few minutes to read it - it really is valuable information. I think some of the most frustrating things to me are even dealing parents (both Food Allergy and not) because some people say, "oh you should just try giving it to her again" - um, HI, my kid has a PEANUT allergy...if she eats it she could DIE?? WHY THE HELL WOULD I RISK HER LIFE TO TRY THIS ON MY OWN??? ARE YOU CRAZY??? No thanks...I will wait until a trained allergist wants to do a food challenge (in the office, with Epi-Pen handy and 911 on speed dial) to give her nuts again. Anyone who thinks otherwise is out of their minds. As with all parenting issues, unsolicited advice is not welcome ;) The reason I'm blogging about this today is two-fold...I'm spending hours searching for a new doctor that takes my insurance and has appointments available within the next month or two. Also, at school this morning, a child brought in cupcakes to celebrate her birthday. The mom did post to the class about it yesterday afternoon but not enough time for many of us to read it or make other arrangements. I happened to check it right before I left this morning. While we are a nut-free school, some folks don't realize which products might have nut byproducts simply because of their manufacturing processes so it's often safer for me to bring in our own cupcakes. The ones today were OK but there's another child in the class who also has other allergies and couldn't have them. His mom hadn't read her email yet so she didn't have a substitute for him. Luckily I had a Dum Dum lollipop for him so he could have a treat too, but these are the kinds of situations that can be frustrating, especially when you are caught off-guard. Ok, enough of my babble...back to the phones to call more doctors... have a great day.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

You may know this by now but October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Most of us know at least one woman who has battled breast cancer. In my case, it is my aunt and my mother-in-law. Something like this is never easy but the more that we are aware and take proactive steps for our health, we can drastically improve our chances of finding and treating the cancer early.

In most stores you will find lots of extra pink stuff this month. Spend a few extra dollars on some of it and know that your money is going to help find a cure. We also have some soap at little pink pansy that helps benefit breast cancer research, along with notecards, notepads, contact cards, square labels, and round labels. (Please note that the links to the stationery items take you to page 4 of the respective collections - more pink ribbon items can be found on pages 5 too).

Another simple cost-free method of helping this cause is to visit http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2. All you have to do here is click on the button to give away free mammograms to women who cannot afford them. It couldn't be easier. This month, their sponsor is giving away extra mammograms if they get enough clicks, so now is the time to do it. It's the easiest way to help.

Other ideas would be getting involved for some of the various walks. There is the Avon Walk in several cities (spread throughout the year). Some of the locations include New York, Charlotte, Houston, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, Rocky Mountains, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. This is a 2-day, 39 mile walk. What a fantastic way to reflect on things while also getting exercise and supporting a great cause.

If you're not quite up for such a long walk, another fantastic option is the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. These events take place all over the country and the National event is located in Washington, D.C. You can find a race near you throughout the year.

If nothing else, take this month to do a self-exam and get in the routine of doing it. The best time to do it is in the week following your menstrual cycle when the breast tissue tends to be less tender and lumpy. It's not something that anyone really wants to talk about, but we need to keep ourselves healthy and this is a minor inconvenience that can really make a difference. Do it for yourself, your family, your friends, and for the women who no longer have that option.

Product Recommendation: Tongue Cleaner

Yes, this is totally random...

I went to the dentist for a cleaning a few weeks ago and the hygienist suggested I use a tongue cleaner rather than a toothbrush for cleaning my tongue. How bizarre, I thought. She wanted me to buy the $20 metal one that they have in their office. I decided to pass but looked next time I went to the grocery store and they have the disposable ones to the tune of $2.99 each. I picked one up and took it home and I absolutely love it! It is so easy - just swipe it over your tongue a time or two when you brush. It really does a better job of getting off the plaque and junk that builds up there. My mouth feels cleaner and fresher. It's also supposed to help bad breath because it extracts the germs that cause it. Anyway, I love it so much and didn't even know about this until recently so thought I'd share. I bought one today for Dennis so he can have a clean mouth too. I included a link if you click on the image but you can find this one or similar at the grocery store or drugstore. You will feel great!

Tuesday's Tips

Wear a daily moisturizer with sunscreen built-in.

Sounds obvious, right? Well, I am just now getting around to doing this myself. Olive and I are outside so much and while it's easy to remember to spray down her precious little skin with sunscreen, mine doesn't always get the same attention. So I decided that I'd start using a daily facial moisturizer with a built-in SPF so if I didn't get around to putting some on me, at least I'd have some protection. There are many different facial moisturizers that include sunscreen. Many are SPF 15, which is better than nothing, but in my opinion, maybe not quite enough for the summer months. Mary Kay makes a tinted moisturizer with an SPF of 20 (see here) which I like because it saves a step - it's foundation and moisturizer and sunscreen all rolled into one. I use this one a lot, but have also just found these Neutrogena Healthy Defense ones with Helioplex, which is supposed to be really good for helping to fight the UVA and UVB rays. It's available in SPF 30 and 45 (pictured). I bought mine at Ulta and Wal-Mart, but is also available at Drugstore.com or probably just about anywhere you normally buy cosmetics (though the 45 is a little harder to find). If I can ever use up the mass quantities of great lotions that I have, I will also start using a daily body moisturizer with an SPF. Most of these are 15 but 15 is better than nothing, and is great for the daily in/out that most people do.

Have a healthy and happy summer!