making your own baby food - it really is easy (honest)

Pin It Now! there was a lot about having a baby that i didn't know (everything) - and there were some things that i just figured i wouldn't be "into"....cloth diapers (check), breastfeeding in public (check)  and making my own baby food...but i was wrong on this one.  For some reason I had this notion that it would be too difficult to make my own baby food and I figured the packaged stuff was fine.
1. I don't know why I thought it would be difficult because I'm not a lost cause in the kitchen....I'm no Martha but I do like to cook and bake.
2. I didn't realize how expensive the jarred/frozen stuff was.....and honestly?  It doesn't taste great.  Esp the meat kind (yick!) so...I've ventured into the world of making my own baby food.

So far I've made:
chicken (twice, once breast meat and then I read that babies should have full fat meats so the second time I used thigh meat)
butternut squash
broccoli
pear and apple sauce
sweet potato
carrot
chickpea

The easiest was chickpeas....open a can and whir it up with the handy blender and bingo.
Sidenote I really wanted the baby bullet until I realized that my handy blender is basically the same thing without a little happy face on it (I was still a bit tempted)

The toughest so far was the pear and apple sauce - I followed this recipe and it wasn't tough just took a long time to peel everything.

In case you are interested in trying this yourself here are a few things to get you started
This site is awesome - it has been my go to for figuring out how to cook things

These summer days are just whizzing by...I am having so much fun enjoying this time with my little man.  A few things I don't want to forget:
-how J's hair is like a treasure troll's when it's clean - you can make it into several different hairstyles including the comb over and the ever popular einstein 'do
-how when he's lying down and looking towards his toes his mouth goes into a little perfect "o" shape - it's so cute, we can't figure out if it's because he thinks he can see better that way or if he does it to get his lips out of his line of vision
-how he just stopped doing his little "sigh" after his sneezes....he used to do this breathy little "ahhhhh" after each sneeze...and one day this week it just stopped.

Also - for any of you new moms and mom's to be or really anyone who just likes a good laugh you have to check out Amalah's blog...she's one of those people who can just write the way she thinks...and her thoughts are ones that I've definitely had before!

Seven

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Really? 

Seven Months? (well it's tomorrow to be exact but I just felt like blogging it today ;))

Look at this giant!

I know I say this every month that time is just rushing by but this month seems especially bittersweet - now I am officially over halfway done my maternity leave - and I know that living in Canada it is such a luxury to get an entire year off but it really is just flying by.

And so - at SEVEN months Jonah...:

• Sits! This is a big one and has allowed me a ton of freedom - and an especially big thank you from my back and neck

• Naps regularly - equally happy about this one - it has been so amazing, he's actually turned into a "routine" baby....I always felt weird before this month when people would ask me what his routine was b/c I honestly wanted to say to them..."mmmm pretty much whatever the little dictator wants" ;)...but persistance paid off in this case.  And by that I mean me lying on his nursery floor for hours with one hand stuck through the crib rails (really? I cannot believe I did that now)
• Eats....and eats and eats and eats...3 meals a day and 4 bottles/nursing sessions - eats pretty much whatever is put in front of him, rice cereal, oat cereal, carrots, sweet potato, lentils, chicken, apple sauce, bananas - the list goes on.  Weighed 19lbs11oz at his 6 month apt and 21lbs4oz two weeks later.  Porky piglet ;) 
• Loves to drink water - I am very happy about this one and will do everything I can to continue to encourage this one, I don't think I'll offer him juice or anything other than milk or water for the first little while...I don't think there is a need when he's getting what he needs from whole fruit and veggies.
• Had his first fever :( - was so sad, poor thing got it on what was our hottest day yet - so we schlepped to the clinic with just a onesie on him sweating all the way - they did a few tests and said it wasn't in his chest or ears (which was good) so we just had to sort of wait it out.  Was so sweltering that night that we ended up setting up camp in the family room on the couch cushions where it was a bit cooler and thankfully his fever broke that night.
• Thinks animal noises are the coolest 
• Loves to be naked.  Seriously probably his favourite thing ever.  Flails around like mad.  He's a true boy.
• We've started reading two books before bed every night - Bear of My Heart and On The Night You Were Born...both are fantastic, Bear of my heart is perfect for him since he's our little bear. 

I'm also behind at posting my Scrapping Turtle layouts from the last few weeks - this month we're working with Bo Bunny - I am using the Blast Off line and I love it - perfect for boyish pages

Have a great day!

Busy Bees

Pin It Now! We are busy summer bees over here.

Not that much time for the computer when it has been so lovely outside (ok and to be 100% honest my laptop isn't working right now and I'm for the most part too lazy to sit in the kitchen and blog/surf :)...hoping to get it fixed soon!).
Not that much time for scrapping either - but I'm making an effort to squeeze some in.

So although I haven't been blogging or scrapping much lately to document what has been going on there have been TONS of fun things going on around here and I'm now really getting why people love mat leave (I joke that I should write a book about having a baby about what people don't tell you about the first 4 months of having a baby).

One of the things that kept me busy this past month was a cake decorating class.....doesn't that just scream mat leave? Before I took the class I always wondered what type of people took classes like this in the middle of the work day...do you want to know what type of people were there?  Interesting peeps let me tell you, but by the end of the 4 week sessions I can now ice a cake like Buddy. My girlfriend and I took it together and our boys went to her regular daycare together when we were at our class, it was J's first time away from me and away from home really (with the exception of being with family) but Jonah just loved it - he is such a social kid, I feel so good knowing that about him now because it makes me less anxious for when he will have to go to daycare full time.  

I have also been "cooking" up a storm.  And by cooking I mean mostly making up lots of salads.  Especially salads that are good for lunch the next day.

We are also getting fit...by we I mean Kirk and I, not Jonah and I.  His thighs are fine just the way they are ;) K and I both kind of reached our breaking point of being sick and tired of feeling so blah and are now making an effort to be healthy - actually eating all 3 meals a day and not filling our faces with junk at night....we are the classic couple who got married and just got lazy together.  But we're committed to changing that - we've been eating pretty clean for about 2 weeks now and also have been doing the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred video when we can (ridiculous we don't fit it in every day since it's literally 20 minutes but some days is better than no days right?) It is so much better being committed to being healthy together than doing it alone that's for sure.

I also had my first weekend away - my girlfriends from grade school/high school and I planned it back in January to celebrate our 30th birthdays together and we went up north for 2 nights and spent all day Saturday at The Scandinave Spa which should just be renamed Heaven on Earth for ease's sake.

 It is an outdoor spa with plunge pools, hot and cold and then relax rooms with either steam, sauna or just Muskoka chairs and magazines....I'm sure I've mentioned it before on here because I'm pretty much in love with it.  I don't exactly know why or how it works but you basically just do hot/cold/relax circuit a few times and by the end of it you literally feel like butter.  We topped it off with some amazing massages and an awesome dinner out combined with tons of laughs and girl talk.  It couldn't have been better.  I did miss J a bunch but I don't think he really noticed I was gone which is good - he looked up and gave me a huge smile when I got home then went back to playing with his toys.... I am sure he thought it was pretty strange when I picked him up and started crying and smothering him with lots of hugs and kisses ;)

These girls and I have been through a ton together - I feel so blessed to have each of them in my life. 

6 months

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6 months. Half a year.  Impossible to believe. I knew I would say this when the time came but didn’t realize how unreal it would actually feel.

So now this boy is 6 months old!  

He’s fully graduated from 6 months clothing just in time for his half-birthday – he’s now in 12 months and in some things even 18 months.  His ham hock legs are just too big for 6 month things, we did the jump and pull a few times with some of his pants but then realized it was all in vain.  So now he’s more comfy in bigger pants!

He cut his 4th tooth this past weekend so he is now getting pretty toothy with that grin of his.

He weighed in at 19lbs11oz and measured 27 inches at his 6 month appointment - I think that puts him more mid range -- he just grew so fast there for a few months.

I feel like I’m living on a different planet than I was two months ago – now that J sleeps, I sleep and that makes all the difference in the world.  He goes down at around 7 and wakes between 5 and 6 but then goes back to sleep until around 6 or 7 plus he naps!  In his crib!  This has been the best change by far – he is a happier baby because of it and I’m a happier mom.  I’m now getting to do all of the things that I thought mat leave would be full of – cooking, baking, cleaning – it’s been fun.  I feel like my house is finally somewhat in order – closets are organized, little repairs around the house are getting done.  I love that feeling.

He loves his jumparoo and excersaucer – except hasn’t really figured out the bouncing part.

Has started noticing other babies – for the first time when he saw Keira and Hudson he kind of knew they were there.

He is still working on rolling – I think those big leggies are a bit of a hindrances.

Working on sitting – still a bit of tippage going on

Eating lots of food!  He loves brown rice cereal and rice and banana cereal – we tried peas but those were not a crowd pleaser but he just tried sweet potatoes and loved them.  

He likes to drink water and has a bottle with his cereal. 

I really can't remember life without him :)

One Little word 2011

Pin It Now! Last year I chose Create as my One Little Word

Ironic really because in 2010 we made a baby!

This year I've thought a lot about my word - I chose it a while ago just didn't have time to document it or why I chose it.  For 2011 I chose Faith.

I was the most nervous pregnant person on the planet.  I read that "what to expect" book every day.  I was terrified to tell anyone at first for fear that I would miscarry.  I Googled everything there was to Google.  Every little kick and flutter of the baby in my belly made my heart race a bit.  I read a million books about what to do once baby was here (I retrospect I should just go and publish my own book that basically tells people to prepare not to sleep for a good 12 weeks time and forget about labour pains, after the baby arrives is when you're really in for a treat "down there"..but it's all worth it  and after that your life will become normal again!)...but I digress - before I had Jonah I was so scared - felt so unprepared.

I knew then that I didn't want to be a nervous mom.  I didn't want to be worrying all the time, raising him to be a person who was scared of everything around every little corner.  I am a worrier by nature so I definitely cannot say that I will accomplish this completely - but it is my goal.

I chose Faith as my word for 2011 because it encompasses pretty neatly what I want to have and show for him.  Faith that he will be ok, that I'll be ok, that as a family of three we'll figure it all out - that I'll try my best and that will be good enough.  Faith that he'll be ok without me - at first in his crib, then as he gets bigger with a sitter, then at school, then living on his own when he goes away to school - faith that I'll raise him to be a strong sensitive loving proud boy - a boy who will turn into a great man.  A boy who has a strong sense of worth but is not boastful.

I was laughing the other day because I looked up his horoscope - Scorpio:
Scorpios are the most intense, profound, powerful characters in the zodiac. Even when they appear self-controlled and calm there is a seething intensity of emotional energy under the placid exterior. They are like the volcano not far under the surface of a calm sea, it may burst into eruption at any moment. But those of us who are particularly perceptive will be aware of the harnessed aggression, the immense forcefulness, magnetic intensity, and often strangely hypnotic personality under the tranquil, but watchful composure of Scorpio. In conventional social gatherings they are pleasant to be with, thoughtful in conversation, dignified, and reserved, yet affable and courteous; they sometimes possess penetrating eyes which make their shyer companions feel naked and defenseless before them.

Pretty much sums him up ;) 

I guess I am now officially a mommy blogger!

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 Today I spent the entire day with my mom.  At the spa.  It was so heavenly to be able to do nothing for a whole day but it was also so odd (or o-d-d if you've been reading this blog for a while ;)) to have that much time to myself.  With Mother's Day being tomorrow I think it was only natural that I started to think about how things have changed this past year - to reflect about becoming a mom.  I think the biggest change is how all the little things have changed!

Jonah has started laughing a lot more frequently these days, and each time he does I just want to bottle it up and save it for the days when he's a bit older and upset about something or we aren't getting along....babies laughs are seriously like a million bursts of goodness - just full of joy and so much hope, you can't help but smile when you hear it.  Sounds so cliche but it is seriously true.  We'll have to settle for lots of footage from our Flip Camera - we made him do "dancing baby" last night from Ally McBeal ...stripped him down to his diaper and made him dance on the kitchen table (ha!)

I think I used to see people who would oogle over their kids and sort of think get over yourself people!  I realize now reading this that that sounds so totally ignorant of me but I really didn't mean any harm about it - I think I was just sort of oblivious but didn't mean it in a mean spirited way - and I am by no means saying that everyone who doesn't have kids is selfish - far from it.  I am totally one of "those parents" now and ironically I feel like "getting over myself" is just what having a baby has helped me to do - or at least to be more aware of.  I used to be so consumed by me, my agenda, what I was going to do, where I was going, with who, how, when - that I sort of forgot about others.  I was married for five years before having Jonah but really my husband and I are both pretty independent people, and the relationship between two adults is different than a parent and child obviously - so the transformation for me has been huge.  It's not just a "me" world anymore - it's our world. 

On the other hand I don't want to be one of those parents that loses themselves completely in their children - I think it's so important for our entire family that we each have our own identity and interests and lives, but what I never could have imagined was how intricately things would be woven, how tightly we would be bound.  Our decisions now are about our family vs just ourselves.  It has been a beautiful change and is such a delicate dance and I wouldn't trade it for a second.  I love love love being a mom.  

Scrappy Organization

Pin It Now! This was my week to do a tutorial over at The Scrapping Turtle so posting it here too - I love to read about how others stay organized so I hope this helps you :)
- this is kind of a different type of a tutorial because there really is no "right" or "wrong" way to stay organized so it's more going to be a bit of show and tell about what helps me to stay organized when scrapping and I hope that you find it helpful and get some new ideas.

For a while I wasn't the most organized scrapper - but I find that when I do stay on top of being organized it really helps me with pulling pages together much quicker because I know where everything is and it helps me pull together better pages because I'm not forgetting about things that I already have in my stash!

I do not have a dedicated scrap room in my house - my husband and I share an office in our house that also doubles as my scrap room - since it's on the main floor and is visible I like to keep my stuff out of the way as much as possible when I'm not scrapping (this also helps keep it all safe from living with a dog, a man and a baby hee hee!)

This is the desk where I layout my pages - you can see I have a self healing mat underneath - I got this ages ago and I love it because I never worry about damaging the wood with my glues etc (like I *might* have done to our kitchen table when I used to scrap there.......oops ) - anyway this just stays out all the time even when I'm not scrapping.

Next is my cluster of containers that also stay out on the desk all the time - I don't mind these staying out because the stuff is contained within them and it is also good to keep out a few things that I don’t' want to forget about and also good to keep certain things easy to grab when I'm pulling together a page.

Most of these are just repurposed vessels that I had around the house plus a few cheap milk glass containers from the antique market.

Next I have 3 "embellie" Tupperware’s that I stack when not in use and to the right bags with "kits" - this is kind of where I keep my current projects - either kits that I've gotten, projects that I want to tackle etc...keeping it organized in seperate bags helps me to be able to quickly pick up and scrap when I have a few minutes here and there.



Within the Tupperware's I keep my most used supplies; I keep ribbon in one, embellies in another (bling, journaling cards, stickers etc) and stamps in the third. On top I keep a embroidery floss case - this is probably my "secret weapon" when it comes to staying organized

....this little catch all is where I store all of my buttons and then I put a few flowers in here from my larger containers so that I don't forget about them and can grab them quickly when needed. You'll see my full storage in a second.

The desk drawer houses all of my punches as well as my corner chomper.

Then to the right of the desk I have a few Tupperware drawers stacked


I keep patterned paper in one, cardstock in another and square embellie/sticker sheets in the third.

- one is a special one for scrapping (square shape) that has 3 drawers - If any of these 3 fill up I know it's time to purge because (to me) it means I've accumulated too much paper to be able to manage.

The drawers below are just from a big box dept store (like Wal-Mart but don't remember exactly where I got them - I just repurposed from my basement when I decided to bite the bullet and get organized). In these I have organized all of my alpha stickers, rub ons, slice tool and photos.

I also label each of the drawers so that I remember what is where.......it may seem strange but I organize by "size" - so all of my thickers are in a drawer b/c they are all one size but then Oct Aft mini market letters are in a different drawer b/c to me they are a different size so I think about them differently.


Inside each drawer I like to also organize by colour (a bit crazy I know!)

Anyway - the point of this tutorial is not that you'll go out and organize just like me but rather that you'll be inspired to find a way of keeping your supplies so that they work for you - I'm sure like me you are pressed for time and the time that you do get to scrap is precious so I really feel it's well worth it to go through your supplies and organize them so that you can maximize the time that you do have for scrapping!

I hope you found this tutorial helpful - happy organizing!