Eating Strategies

I have written before about my 3 yr old son, Ian, who is the pickiest kid I know! Well, we recently found out that there is a medical reason for his pickiness. He has been diagnosed with celiac disease. Now that we know what Ian can and can not eat we are using many different creative techniques to get him to try new things. I thought I would share some of these methods with you ladies and if you have any tricks to getting your kids to try new things please share!!!
Here are my tricks:
1. Making food fun. This picture shows our edible sailboats. Ian love eating these sailboats! Sometime we just put the food in a fun pattern on the plate, cut the cheese in cute shapes, or let him build houses out of the cheese planks.
2. Food races. This is not a race to see how fast you can eat!! Ian will run around the house and has to eat a bite before he can go around again. I usually put my leg up as a barrier and after he takes his bite (chews and swallows it too of course) I lift up the gate and let him go. He never tires of a food race.
3. Animal bites. If he is trying something new and is hesitant to take a bite we try different animal bites. We go smaller and smaller until he agrees to try that size of a bite. Kitty bites, mouse bites, etc.
4. Tea Party Plates. This was my mom's favorite way to get me and my siblings to eat. She would make a little plate with lots of little things and call it a tea party. We do this often for lunch or snack time.
5. Quizzes. This one is our newest trick. Ian is really into words and what they start with. So we quiz him and when he gets the right answer he gets a bite. For example, "what letter does plate begin with?"
6. Hiding the veggie. Ian will NOT eat a veggie to save his life. He says when he is 4 he will eat a carrot. I am counting down the days until his 4th birthday!!! So I try to hide the veggies in things. He will eat muffins (Gluten free ones now) so I make pumpkin muffins or zucchini muffins (pureeing the zucchini). I have also been putting carrot juice in my jello. The big box of jello calls for 4 cups of water (2 hot and 2 cold). I put in 1 cup of carrot juice instead of one of the cold water cups. A few marshmallows on top and it is irresistible!
You may think this is all ridiculous, if you do...then you don't have a problem eater! The rest of you share your own tricks please!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Frog Eye Salad

I've never been a huge fan of Frog Eye Salad before but my grandma asked me to make some for our early Thanksgiving get together this weekend so I found this recipe online and when I was done making it I was surprised at how much I liked it.  So I thought I would pass it on!  I got this from Cooks.com.  


1 c. uncooked Acini Di Pepe pasta 
3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. pineapple juice (from canned pineapple shown below)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. lemon juice


Cook Acini Di Pepe: Bring 6 cups water to a rapid boil in 3 quart saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly add 1 cup Acini Di Pepe. Return to rapid boil, stirring to separate. Boil only 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 6 to 8 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water to chill. 


In small saucepan, mix sugar, flour, salt; stir in pineapple juice and egg.  Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thickened (or cook in microwave).  Add lemon juice, set aside and cool.  


Combine cooked, cooled mixture with cooled Acini Di Pepe.  Cover, place in refrigerator until chilled.
Add the following:
2 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 carton (8 oz) dairy whipped topping
1 c. miniature marshmallows


Stir lightly.  Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Serves 8-10

Fresh Corn and Wild Rice

Okay I've been a little MIA for a few weeks... or months. Things are not really settling down, but I'm trying to get back to the things I did before baby #2. Yes, yes I know, I sound wimpy because there are moms out there who have 3, 4, even 5 kids and have an easier time getting back on their feet. But, I have a bit of a special circumstance.....

Here's my thanksgiving side dish, from none other than the PIONEER WOMAN. I love this lady, and I made this corn side dish last year and it was a HUGE hit, I LOVED it, and can't wait to make it again this year.... maybe, if I get around to it. :)

Here it is:

Fresh Corn and Wild Rice 

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 3-4 cups fresh corn kernels (scraped off the cob)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1-2 teaspoon kosher salt (or table salt to taste)
• cayenne pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2-1 cup milk, for thinning

Directions

1. 
   

   1

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. 
   

   2

   Cook wild rice in chicken broth until almost done. Rice should still have a firm (but not crunchy) bite. Drain rice and allow to cool.
3. 
   

   3

   Scrape corn kernels into a large mixing bowl. Add in cream, butter, beaten eggs, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir together.
4. 
   

   4

   Add in cooled wild rice, stirring gently. Splash in milk so that mixture is stirrable, but not overly juicy.
5. 
   

   5

   Taste for seasonings, adding more salt or cayenne pepper if needed.
6. 
   

   6

   Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until just turning golden brown on top and mixture is somewhat set.

Tricks of the Trade: Baby Bowels

I have a bit of an odd question for this week. My little one is 4 months old, she is completely breast fed and... she doesn't poop every day. Is that normal? I can't remember if that ever happened with my other kids, but I don't think it did.

She can go two or three days between bowel movements and it's a bit unsettling. Is it something that is worth bringing up with a doctor or is it more common than I realize?

Udder Covers

Dear Mommies,
Here's another deal that I thought was too good to pass up. I wasn't sure I wanted to endorse it but I just got mine in the mail today and I LOVE IT! I won't go into how awkward I am when I try to nurse one of my babies or how much I detest doing it in front of people but now that the third baby is on the way I don't know if I'll get as much privacy as I did with the last two...between scooting to school or other activities. So I am hoping this will help. I have friends who swear by this product as well. And if you aren't a nursing mom I think this makes a great (and affordable) shower gift for someone else. Udder Covers retail for $32 but use a promotional code and it's FREE (but you do have to pay $8.95 in shipping.) Use the promotional code: backorder1 and find one you love HERE.

Hope you love yours as much as I love mine!

I LOVE FREE STUFF

So a freind of mine blogged about this so I thought I would pass it on. I just got done ordering 50 FREE Christmas cards from seehere.com 100% FREE even the shipping was FREE and I didn't have to enter any credit card information. I guess its backed by fuji film. Use the code freebies4mom-1109
It good through November 30.
I'm pretty excited since I wasn't going to send Christmas cards because of the price, now all I have to pay for are the stamps.
Here is the link if you want to check it out
-OR-
Here is the link if you want to go straight to seehere.com to get started

New Carseat Cover Tutorial

I'm so excited that I actually made this carseat cover that I'm nearly blissful and to think that I can actually share it with everyone makes me even happier. I have looked online for tutorials on this and can't seem to find any. So I decided to make one myself.

Disclaimer: This is my first 'real' tutorial. If I missed something or something was a bit confusing just tell me and I'll try to explain it.

Hope you all enjoy. :)

Choose your fabric. It's fine to buy something a little cheaper for the back, since no one is going to see it. In fact I got both of these fabric pieces in the clearance section at Wal-Mart. You will also need, matching thread, batting for the middle, and binding for the edges. And alot of pins.


Take your old car seat cover and lay it flat on the paper you've chosen to use. You will have several sections you need to trace: A top, a bottom, and any sides or overhanging areas.


Now draw around the first section of the layed out car seat.. Generally speaking you can assume that the binding is hiding your seam so you don't need to make an allowance for it, but be aware that the issue might arise.


Be sure to mark any parts that lie on the inside of the pattern, like strap holes and any extra stitching.


Your patterns will start looking something like this.


When you cut out your pattern sections, remember to write what each line is for, and cut any holes so you can mark your fabric.


This bit of the pattern is a tad  trickier. This is the overlay that is found on the top and bottom of the carseat


As you can see, you can't just draw around it. So you're going to have to eyeball it. Don't get panicky! It's still just paper.


First I traced around any parts that I could.


Then I measured the center most point and marked the top on my paper (where I couldn't trace) I also measured a spot on either end where it was about an inch wide. In essence creating a connect the dots.


Then I followed that path around.


To make sure I had actually done what I wanted, I cut out the pattern piece and layed in on top of the section of fabric.


It was a bit off so I cut my pattern paper to match.


After you have cut them out. Lay them into your carseat to make sure everything fits. This is a moment when you can see any glaring mistakes you may have made (before you cut fabric).


Now pin the pattern to your fabric, being sure to avoid any bulging or folding fabric underneath.


There are two ways you can cut your pattern. You can trace around it with a pencil or other fabric friendly instrument. Or you can leave the pattern attached and cut around it. I generally like the former, since the paper can be annoying to work around.


Once you have all the pieces cut out, you should lay them on the carseat like you did the pattern paper earlier. I didn't get a picture of this. But it's worth doing, so you can catch any bad mistakes. Then repeat all the previous steps with batting and bottom fabric.


Because you have the batting in the middle and you are essentially quilting it is important to pull tight when pinning and sewing. If you don't you're going to get bunching and bubbling. Notice how I used my foot to hold one side while I pinned... yeah, I'm lazy. Just remember to let your sewing foot move on it's own as you are holding things tight (during the sewing).


Now is where we begin sewing. Use about a quarter of an inch straight stitch and if you need to, go slowly. You're going to want to stitch any inner parts as well (strap holes, corner stitches) right now as well.

When you are done going around the first time it's probably a good idea to go over it again with a zig zag stitch to secure everything and prevent fraying.


See....Also remember that the zig zag should not go OVER the straight stitch. The zigzag is like a dirty little secret we want to keep hidden. No one needs to know you did this part because it's not pretty.


Also check your back to see if you missed any of the solid fabric. I did at one point and needed to stitch over that section again, a little closer in.


  You should have your top and bottom parts all sewn together (both fabrics with the batting in the middle). Now you need to sew these two sections together. Lay the pieces right sides together and pin. You probably want to check your old cover to make sure you pin to the right points (and not to high up).


Like so....I've already stitched the buckled opening(that circular part in the center) so all I need to do with that is put on the binding.


Sew the top and bottom together. Go slowly if you need to. Remember to align any extra stitching you've done... probably a little better than I did.


Now is when things start heating up. The overlays (the parts that really secure the cover to the carseat). These fit a little differently and aren't as easy to pin. And if I were to do it over I would have sewn the binding on these parts BEFORE I sewed them onto the rest of the cover.


See how the pins area little bunchy. That's because I had to mold the fabric sections together. So when you begin stitching you'll need to hold these parts to their right spots... they won't like it, but it's important.


Now you get to start on the binding. It's a bit awkward to work with and requires a lot of pins. You'll want to make sure your fabric fits snuggly into the fold without being doubled over. Pin the binding to every place that the old cover had binding. Most especially the visible parts. This is what will give it the 'finished' look (and cover the seams).


Straight stitch close to the inside edge, but remember that you want to catch the fabric that is now inside the binding.

The binding around the buckle opening was the hardest. I used a lot of pins and it still didn't turn out very cute. (sorry bad picture)

But...once your binding is on you should have the finished product! If it didn't work out I'll allow you to cry.
If it did...
Voila! The baby loves it.

cannwin.blogspot.com

How to transition from a crib to a Big-kid bed

We are about to embark on lots of changes for our daughter, beginning with moving into a big bed. For the past several months we have had 2 beds set up in her room, making her room look ridiculous. My husband was a little anxious to have her in a big bed, so we tried it during the summer. After 2 nights of her screaming (she learned how to open doors the first night) we decided to try later. Well I think now may be later.

I would like to know any tips or tricks you use when putting them to a big bed. We've got those white plastic things to go over the door knob so she won't be able to open the door, but other than that I am planning on taking down her crib, so that's not a temptation for her (or me...) and just bearing through it.

How did you make it a good experience? Or was it not a good experience? Would it help to get rid of the binky before or after the big move?

November's Crafts

Hello again! Our craft person Kara is still very distracted and busy with her brand new adorable baby! So for the craft of the month I thought it would be fun to do a post about this fun website: So You Think You're Crafty!! They started with 10 crafters and every week they have to do a craft that fits a specific theme and the one that gets the most votes gets to post a tutorial and the one with the least votes is "eliminated". Last week's winning craft was SO cute! So go check it out for lots of Fall craft ideas! Just click on the button!

Most Embarrassing Moments

Happy November everyone! We hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!
We've learned some fun things about our mommies in the past months and now we want to hear some funny stories! So this month's About Us Q (for authors and readers!!) is what is your most embarrassing moment? Come on, don't be shy! Share it with us! :)