July 2014

Baby Food

Sunday, July 27, 2014

P- This is the reason I make baby food!

Making your own baby food is a personal choice, just like anything else that comes with decision making and a baby. To each their own....because I applaud the families that cloth diaper! I, personally, made that choice when I had E six years ago. It was something my mom did with me and my sister. It seemed easy enough and I wanted to make sure that I knew what I was putting into his mouth was healthy.

When I made E's food I toyed with the idea of purchasing the hot new baby-food makers. I decided to forgo the 'gimmick' item and just steamed or baked and then placed in a food processor.

This time around I upgraded (through a generous gift)! AND I AM SO GLAD I DID!!! I chose the Cuisinart Baby food maker and bottle warmer for three reasons: 1. It was a two for one- bottle warmer and food maker. 2. It seemed to be able to hold larger amounts of food than others. 3. Cuisinart is a trusted name.

source and more information

Onto the process...(Again, you DO NOT need a fancy baby food maker to do this) On this particular day I was making sweet potatoes and apples.

In most instances you will need to peel the
fruits and vegetables before steaming.

Then you will want to chop into 1/2-1" pieces.

This is why I like the baby food makers- it's a no brainer-
There is no overcooking because you forgot about it, no switching from one container to another, and it's done quickly.
Once you pour in the correct amount of water, you turn it on to steam. Once it is done it turns itself off. Here is the beautiful part- all you have to do is turn the dial from steam to chop! That's it. You're done!

I use trays like these to portion and freeze the food.
Simply spoon your puree into compartments, place lid on, and freeze.
Ice cube trays work perfectly too.

The beauty of making your own food is just that- you can make it your OWN!
Don't be afraid to add things to it. I add coconut milk to sweeten, cinnamon (or ginger) for flavor, and coconut oil to add healthy fat into items.

To store the food, I take the frozen cubes out of the containers and place into freezer plastic bags- label with the food and date

When we are traveling and I need to bring food with me I place the frozen cubes into glass jars like these. By the time he is ready to eat they have thawed and are ready.
I use the small Ball or these Weck jars. I don't have to worry about spilling or plastic with these.

source

The other item I use to make baby food is a mill (like the one pictured above). This is perfect for making fruits smooth, and as they get older you can just throw your own meal into it and mash it up. It small and compact and perfect to throw in the diaper bag and take with you places.

P is definitely NOT as interested in food like E was! We started introducing food around 6 months and it has been a slow process with him. So far he has tried sweet potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, zucchini, peaches, apples, bananas, avocado, kiwi, and yogurt. Right now he is only eating food about once a day in the afternoon. The rest of the time he is nursing.

The best website (that I have been able to find) with a wealth of knowledge is Wholesome Homemade Baby Food

The thoughts and opinions in this post are just that :) I was not compensated in any way nor am I a doctor or expert. ;)

~Jenny~

Office Planning

Friday, July 25, 2014

The office 'remodel' is in the works. This is what I have planned so far.

The curtains on the left I purchased from Ikea. They were hanging in P's nursery at the old house. We turned it into a pocket hole instead of the grommets (like picture on the right). They no longer work in his room at the new house, so they will be used in my office. However, the curtains are now too short so I will be purchasing some black material and adding it to the bottom like the picture in the middle.

Ikea curtains / source of other curtain / knobs

The knobs are still in the works and will be purchased today. I have an antique wood desk that needs new knobs and dressing up. I have already purchased some, but they weren't the right fit. All three of the new options are from Anthropology.

paint / picture / shelving unit

The walls are painted Popular Gray from Sherwin-Williams. This was not the original plan for the office, but the painters caught me off guard when they said they were painting that room too. So, I have decided to stay with the color and add aqua/turquoise, black, gold, and white to the room with accessories.
That brings us to the painting from Ikea. It is large, but the high ceilings and decent size of the room can handle it. I like that it had the aqua/turquoise that I wanted to bring in, but that it also had a swimmer (I was on the swim team in high school and this was my stroke).
And that brings us to the last piece as of now. It is the Kallax bookcase from Ikea (did I mention my LOVE for Ikea). Originally, I was going to purchase the same unit, but in the high gloss turquoise. Once seeing it in person I wasn't thrilled with the color and settled with the white. It will be turned on its side and used as a shelving unit.
Still needed is some fabric for a project, bins/baskets for the shelving unit, shelves in the closet, and artwork....oh, and I guess some organizing, LOL.
School is right around the corner, so hopefully I will get this together before then!

~Jenny~

Throwback Thursday

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Oh yeah, remember that time my son turned 4?! Ha! Nothing like reliving it almost 2 YEARS later!!!

The theme ~~this~~ that year was pirates. Enjoy!

Poor boy started his birthday party off by falling in the pool!

Guests were greeted with an eye patch at the door.

X marks the spot...for the party!

Activities...

Decorating his pirate hat before the treasure hunt.

The treasure hunt consisted of activities along the way-
had to knock the colored water bottles off the fence with a hose.

Walking the Plank

X marks the spot- treasure was found.

Pinata time!

We used a sword first to ensure all the kids would get a chance.

Decorations....

I made buntings to make it look like a ship.

Gift Bags

The loot!

A new helmet for his mini-bike....
He was so excited he didn't even take it out of the packaging

It was a fun filled day celebrating this special boy!.. Hard to believe 6 is right around the corner. :(

~Jenny~

Monday Made It

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Well, I've been working on this post since Monday, but my computer is NOT wanting to cooperate with me. So, this Monday Made It is coming to you on a Wednesday. I have a teacher and home 'made it.'
I'm linking up again with 4h Grade Frolics. Make sure you head over there and check out other Monday Made Its!

For the teachers....
I am saving tissue boxes (it's summer....not much of a need right now for tissues) for science exploration. My original plan was to break out my Silhouette machine and add some vinyl labels to them. Then, I came up with this....

Chalkboard paint. I wasn't sure how this was going to work (painting onto cardboard) but I'm pleased with the outcome.

It didn't look like it was going to work at first because of the 'wax' finish on the cardboard. It caused the paint to bead up. But, I found that if you let it sit for a few seconds and brush over it again (without re-dipping the paintbrush) it eventually covers.

It took 3 coats to cover and with it being paper you will want to erase with just your hand.

So, now onto the purpose of this. At the beginning of the year we cover our senses in science. I plan on using these as discovery boxes, placing items inside and having students use sense of touch, smell, and hear to try and predict (hypothesis) what the object is.

The boxes can also be used for inference in reading. However, this time you would place several items in the box. The students would write down the objects and what they know to come up with an inference for what the objects mean (i.e. sunscreen, sunglasses, seashell = beach).

I created these worksheets to go with the activity. You can grab your's for FREE at my TPT shop. Please leave feedback if you choose to download and become a follower so you know when I add something new. :)

Now, for the non-teacher 'Made It'
Some artwork I made for the office remodel. I purchased a black canvas at Michaels. Then, using my computer I created a heart that I traced onto the canvas.

I used painter's tape onto of the outline.

It took 3 coats to completely cover the black. When it was done, I felt it was lacking something and didn't look finished. I had some Washi tape laying around, so I gave it a go.