November Challenge: Reflection

This month's challenge wasn't exactly a failure, but it wasn't much of a success either.

If you're just tuning in, I set out to create a price book in November. A price book is a list of items a family buys and the quantity, price, and unit price of those items. It can be a great budgeting tool if it's used to determine which store has the best deal on a needed item, to use as comparison to a sales circular to see if a "sale" is worth shopping, or to have a database that can help with prioritizing the shopping list on tight money weeks.

What I once could have tackled in a couple of weekends turned out to be too big a job for just one month. I've got about 15 rows filled out on my price book chart. Yeah, that's as far as I got. We're at a grabby, don't wanna sit in the stroller sort of stage, but I do plan to gradually add to the price book. It'll be an ongoing process.

This month's challenge is a good example of the need to be flexible. I set a goal, it didn't work out like I imagined it might, and I'm readjusting. No biggie.

If any readers out there have created a price book, I'd be interested in hearing about your experience.

Tomorrow I'll post December's Challenge. I think it's one we can ALL relate to.

Best Baby Registry Ever: Health and Beauty Edition

Thermometer - Those thermometers that scan the forehead and the ones you stick inside the ear are pretty cool, huh? Well, your pediatrician won't be very interested in what they have to say because they're not accurate on babies. Get two regular digital thermometers. Then get our your Sharpie and label the first one O/A (Oral/Armpit). This is the one that you'll stick under Baby's arm. It's not entirely accurate, but add a degree to what it tells you, and you'll get an idea of whether or not Baby is running a fever and whether you should proceed to the second thermometer, which you're going to label R. R stands for Rectal, and I know that probably freaks you out. But after the first time, it's not a big deal, and it's the most accurate way to get a baby's temperature.

Nasal Bulb - Don't buy one. The one the hospital gives you is perfectly fine.

Baby Nail Clippers - Get something simple - no magnifying lenses and no lights. It's hard enough to see what you're doing without the extra stuff getting in the way (even if it claims to help you see what you're doing). Since most of the parents I know have a story about cutting off the tip of their baby's finger (I'm so serious), put them away for as long as you can. Baby fingernails are so thin that they can be bitten and/or peeled off for a good long while.

Infant Acetaminophen Drops (a.k.a. Tylenol) - The dosing for tiny ones isn't on the box, so ask your pediatrician at your first visit so you'll know for future reference.

Infant Ibuprofen Drops (a.k.a. Motrin) - Ibuprofen is better for teething pain because it's an anti-inflammatory

Mylicon - These are anti-gas drops that some people swear by and some people think are worthless. You'll never know unless you try, and if you have a colicky baby, you'll TRY. ANYTHING.

Gripe Water - This is another remedy that works for some and does nothing for others. It seemed to help our kids. I've also heard of some brands working better for some babies than other brands. If this is the case, you might have to experiment.

Probiotic Drops - These are expensive, so hold off unless you actually have a colicky baby. We tried them without success, but they do help a lot of babies.

Baby Saline - When Baby has a cold, the saline helps loosen up the snot so that it's easier to suction out. Also useful for the dry indoor heating of winter.

Humidifier - A humidifier works wonder for a baby with a cold. Again, also useful for winter dryness.

Dandruff Shampoo - Huh? For a baby? I wouldn't actually put this on the registry, but just be aware of it. Chances are that your baby will have cradle cap at some point (both of mine did), which will make your baby resemble the weird, flaky kid who sat in front of you in 9th grade. I found dandruff shampoo to be effective at holding it at bay. For when it gets really bad, you can slather baby's head in olive oil, massage, and then slough the flaky chunks off with a comb.

Comb - I wouldn't even bother with a brush.

This Week's Meal Plan 11/29/2011

Day	Wake	Breakfast	SNAck	Lunch	snack	dinner	bed
Monday	BF	Pumpkin Spice Cereal	BF	Yogurt, pureed peas, O cereal	BF	Hummus Sandwich, chopped fruit, yogurt melts	BF
Tuesday	BF	Baby Foodie French Toast	BF	Pasta Risotto* (pasta, chopped veggies, cheese, butter), chopped fruit	BF	Salmon Stix, string cheese, chopped veggies **	BF
Wednesday	BF	Pumpkin Spice Cereal	BF	Yogurt, Veggie Bites	BF	Baby Bolognese, chopped fruit	BF
Thursday	BF	Baby Foodie French Toast, pureed peaches	BF	Pasta Risotto*, chopped fruit	BF	Baby Bolognese, pureed zucchini	BF
Friday	BF	Pumpkin Spice Cereal	BF	Yogurt, veggie bites	BF	Salmon Stix, applesauce, chopped veggies	BF
Saturday	BF	Pumpkin Spice Cereal	BF	Hummus sandwich, chopped fruit	BF	Chicken Bites*, chopped veggies	BF
Sunday	BF	Baby Foodie French Toast, stewed apples and blueberries	BF	Hummus sandwich, chopped veggies, yogurt melts	BF	Chicken Bites*, pureed peaches, O cereal	BF

BF - Breastfeed
* - Recipe from Superfoods for Babies and Children by Annabel Karmel
**- The chopped veggies are a mix I prep at the beginning of the week. This week I’ll dice up zucchini, eggplant, and a red bell pepper and keep them in a bag I can dip into for meal-sized portions that can quick-steam in the microwave.
Salmon Stix and Veggie Bites are HappyBaby products that can be found in the freezer section.

Snapshots of Cute Stuff 11/27/10

The blog was a little slow this past week because we, crazy family that we are, went on a ROAD TRIP! We had a great time, and some of the pics this week will be from the trip. But I want you to know that before we left, I had two of my roughest mommy weeks ever. Both babies were waking up several times a night, so consequently, I was sleeping about four or five hours a night. This is okay for a night every now and then. But when it's every night for two weeks, it's... not. Add to this the little virus that our family traded around for the second week of this. Linus seemed to catch the worst case of it, and was running a fever, drowning in snot, and coughing himself awake all night. This all managed to get *mostly* better on the road trip, so when we walked back in the door of the house yesterday, it was a little like walking in on my own archaeological site. I'm keeping it real here, folks.

Now for the fun stuff.


There's something super adorable about a tiny little girl and her daddy, isn't there?

Why isn't this kid wearing any pants? Well, look in the background. He has managed to crawl out of his pants several times now. Just leaves them behind.

There's a lesson to be learned here, specifically that puffy pink coats don't fit into baby carriers very well. Doesn't she look comfortable?! 

Blue puffy coats don't work so well either.

And now, just for laughs... You know that point where you just can't pose anymore? The point where "Stand over there" is no longer an option? Here you go.

This has been Snapshots of Cute Stuff.

Best Baby Registry Ever: Breastfeeding Edition

Pump - For appointments, date nights, building your supply, expressing milk for mixing with cereal, and building a freezer stash, you'll need a pump. If you can afford it, get a double electric. I'm a big fan of the Purely Yours from Ameda. Ameda has a patent on their tubing system, which is designed so that milk can't get up into the tubes. Is it expensive? Yes, but if you do a little looking around on Ebay or Craigslist, you'll find that they hold their value pretty well. (Translation: If you resell it you'll make back a good portion of your moolah.) I think the best deal out there on a new one is through diapers.com. If you've never ordered from them, you can get a promo code for 10 or 15% off. Oh, and don't buy the more expensive package with the carrying case. That's what I use the bag the formula company sent me home from the hospital with for (bwa ha ha ha!!!).

Breast Pads - For wearing around the house when it doesn't matter if you're lumpy, get some washable cloth pads. For leaving the house, I recommend Lanisoh disposables. They're absorbent and are smooth enough so as not to inspire curious strangers to stare at your chest.

Nipple Butter - I have a lanolin allergy, which led me to seek out lanolin-free Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter. In nearly a year of doing twice the normal amount of breastfeeding, I've never had a problem with chapping or cracking, so that should tell you that it's miraculous stuff. I've also used it as baby chapstick. At $14ish for a tub, it seems expensive, but that little tub lasts a good while.

Milk Storage Bags - Lanisoh wins again. Their bags are reasonably priced, non-leaky, easy to seal, and easy to label.

Breastfeeding Pillow -Make sure you choose something that lifts Baby close to your boobs without you having to bend over. This will a) save you a lot of back pain and b) free you up to do other stuff like reading this fine blog.

Nursing Bras - Check into Bravado. They make 'em in a nice range of sizes and have some pretty cute non-underwire bras, which is no easy thing to find. They are a bit pricey, but if you check for promo codes or sign up for their e-mails, it's not hard to get 20% off. They're also available on Target's website and diapers.com.

Nursing Tops/Dresses - Nursing tops would be a nice thing to have, but if you find yourself breastfeeding during the summer months, you MUST get yourself a nursing dress. Take a second to think this through... What do you do when it's time to nurse? You lift your shirt up... can't do that with a dress, dear. And every gal has to have a cute sundress. Milk and Expressiva make some adorable ones that no one will be the wiser about.

Public High Chairs

Yesterday we managed to find a restaurant where BOTH of the high chairs offered for my children to sit in were completely functional. Wow! How sad is it that that was something to celebrate?

Seriously, one would think that in these litigious United States that restaurants would be far more careful to ensure that the furniture for their most vulnerable customers would be safe, but, oddly, that's not the case. What's more, it's clear that a good number of the flawed high chairs out there arrived that way from the manufacturer. (Uh, two female straps do NOT a buckle make.)

Is this your experience as well? I swear that at least one of the high chairs we're given to use is broken about nine out of ten times.

Baby Foodie French Toast

Baby Foodie French Toast



We all have priorities. Ironing isn't one of mine.



For babies 9 months and up

I use a full slice of bread and give half to each baby. It will work just as well with half a slice for one baby.

1 slice whole wheat bread

1 egg

2 teaspoons breast milk or formula

A couple of drops of vanilla extract

A couple of dashes or cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Butter

1. In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Add the milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk to mix.

2. Dredge the bread slice in the egg mixture.

3. Melt a small pat of butter in a skillet (I prefer cast iron due to its nonstick quality) over medium heat.

4. Cook bread on each side until golden brown.

5. Slice into fingers and serve.

For the curious: The fruit in the picture in a mixture of stewed apples and blueberries.