Day 225 | Toddler Friends

Toddler friends are the cutest. Seeing them interact (play, resolve conflict, give hugs, hold hands, etc) is just the sweetest thing ever.

Thanks for coming to play today, John. So glad we're friends. We'll miss you until next year. 

Day 224 | Homemade Baby Food

'Tis the season for over eating, right? The perfect time of year to share my eight tips for making homemade baby food for your wee one.

1.  Boil baby, boil: Boiling is the easiest way to turn raw or frozen veggies into pureed magic for your little one.Bring a large pot of water to boil and then add the veggies for just a few minutes until tender.
2. Economies of scale: Make several batches one right after the other. Use one big pot and keep the water boiling, use a strainer to fish out the food, and only wash the blender once (rinse out in between foods and wash at the end). Just remember to do any new food as the last batch in case the baby has a reaction (you don't want to taint the other batches).
3. Ice cube trays: The easiest way to portion-ize, freeze, and store your labor of love.
4. Keep food separate: As tempting as it might be to make peas+pears or mango+sweet potatoes, freeze the foods separate and mix them when you serve them. You'll have so many more options for combinations this way.
5. Multitask: It's definitely preferred to do several batches at once (see #2) but don't hesitate to throw on a pot of boiling water while you're preparing dinner or doing dishes to knock out one batch of green beans.
6. Make smart choices: Sometimes making the food is more trouble than its worth. Prunes, in my opinion, is one of those foods. Rehydrating before blending is not my idea of a time saver so I will continue to buy this yummy fruit. When you buy, though, keep an eye on the ingredient list. There are some good options on the shelves today without a lot of additives but there are some nasty ones, too (think tuna oil...yuck!), just be vigilant. Another good buy? Applesauce. Although making applesauce is super easy, you can buy organic, unsweetened, no additive applesauce for so cheap that it's not worth the energy (in my opinion) to make it. If it's too thick for your little one at the beginning (it was for mine), throw it in your blender to smooth it out a bit more. I didn't even need to add water.
7. Invest in good equipment: Chris and I rarely splurge on anything so when we do, it's been well-researched and vetted. One of our best splurges (and definitely the best when it comes to making baby food) has been the Vitamix. Expensive, but worth it. This thing can blend up anything: frozen fruit, raw oatmeal (you don't have to buy the boxed variety), and thick starches (think: sweet potatoes). Other good buys? These ice cube trays (they have covers) and a strainer like this.
8. The wonder of frozen fruit: Frozen fruit is the most economical, easiest way to make baby food. It's already cut, peeled, pitted, etc. Again, check the ingredient list, though. Sometimes there's added sugar (which never makes sense to me!). I just defrost the fruit on the counter for a few hours, throw it in the blender, and pour into ice cube trays. Ta da! Done.

Day 223 | Dear Santa

If we can kick this nasty cold bug by the weekend, we have big plans to make a trip to see Santa. That means we have to get prepared, so Chase and I wrote his letter to the big guy this morning.

Here's what it says (in case you can't make it out):

Dear Santa,

I have been very good this year. I'm a big helper to my mom and dad and I'm very patient with my little brother.

I would like the following for Christmas:

1. Thomas boat
2. Watch
3. Camera
4. Fruit

Merry Christmas!

Afterward, we decided that we should probably write one for Robbe, too, since he's too little to do it himself. 

Here's Robbe's letter:

Dear Santa,

My little brother, Miles, has been really good this year, too.

If it's not too much trouble, he would like a toothbrush. And maybe a surprise. He likes surprises.

Merry Christmas!

Dr. McKnight suggested we get Robbe a toothbrush for his two new teeth and Chase took that suggestion seriously. Straight to Santa for that request. 

Day 222 | Want to be Our Neighbor?

This massive renovation project has been going on right outside our windows for a few months now. Last week they demolished the roof and this week the second floor went up. Crazy, right? I'm so interested in the final product.

So, I repeat, do you want to be our neighbor?

Day 221 | A Little Distraction

Rough morning for this family: I think Miga is the only one who slept well (and not all Robbe's fault this time), we're back to our solo existence after all our family left (so sorry to see them go), and it's cold outside.

After a particularly rough night, though, getting out of the house is a must. No one handles being sleepy and stir-crazy well (at the very least I can speak for myself), so we bundled up and headed to the library. Chase had a blast practicing his colors with Elmo (I overheard him laughing out loud several times) and Robbe enjoyed exploring every nook and crannie. 

It was just he distraction we all needed to power through until naptime (for all of us!). 

Day 220 | Post-Party Pleasures

A few of today's joys after yesterday's celebration:

1. Beautiful flowers: my mom and dad gave us one arrangement, a couple of sweet friends brought two bouquets, and my mom braved our holly tree (we have a holly tree!) to round out the collection. These flowers make me SO happy. 

2. A clean kitchen: something about the accomplishment of cleaning up a huge mess that feels so good. 

3. Leftovers: as I mentioned yesterday, we had lots LOTS of food left over. I guess that's better than the alternative, right? Well today, the amount of food left over is an amazing reward. Snacks for days, ham for an egg scramble for lunch (amazing!), and sweets that I should be avoiding but are too good to pass up. Yes, sir, I will take another handful of chex mix. 

Day 219 | Holiday Shindig

We hosted a little holiday party tonight and I am exhausted. It was a wonderful evening full of friends and family, yummy food, and festive cocktails (thanks to my bartender husband).

The kitchen is semi-cleaned up, the food is semi-eaten (why didn't people eat more?!?), and I'm semi-awake. Well worth all the time and energy dedicated to the event, though. Couldn't have been more enjoyable.

Special thanks to my mom and dad for helping out in innumerable ways to make the evening a success. We are grateful.