Bibs: Product Review

Asparagus…that was my baby girl’s first solid food. I gave it to her when she was just a little over 7 months. This was also the first time I ever used a bib and I have since discovered that not all bibs are created equally. Maybe this is because my baby wasn’t a drooler…or a spitter-upper, but I just don’t have any use for those little tiny bibs that come with an outfit. These are just a complete waste for me personally, even if they do go with her outfit.

Enter the bigger bibs with the little pouches underneath that you can wipe up. These are also not all created equally. I only like the ones you can throw in the washer. Call me lazy but the ones that have to be wiped and hand washed are just not for me. So, my favorite bibs are by a brand called Bumkins. They have cute patterns (I like the Suess one pictured the best) and are nice and big so all the food ends up on it instead of her. Also, the pouch catchs lots of food! When she’s done eating, I just rinse it off and throw it in the washer. I air dry it (it drys very quickly) and it’s ready to go again.

I also recently discovered these really great bibs from IKEA. I bought a 2 pack and they are fantastic for messy meals. My little girl has always fed herself so it can get messy if I give her a mushy food. Enter these bibs from IKEA.  They have sleeves and a pouch. They also meet my criteria of being wipeable and machine washable. I tried these out when I gave my daughter some Greek yogurt and, underneath the bib, she was clean. At $3.99 for a 2 pack, the price is great, too!

My Baby Girl is Turning 1

I don’t know how but my little baby is turning 1 next month. I have tried so hard to hold on to every little moment of her babyhood, even the bad stuff because I knew this day was going to come too soon. She is turning into a little girl and is not just my little newborn baby anymore. She has her whole own little personality, is intensely curious and loves to go, go, go all the time! Oh, she still needs me for now but I have a feeling I’m going to blink and she is going to be all grown up, or at least that’s what this last 11 months has felt like.

1 day old

We are busy planning her birthday (a Candy Land theme) and it is so much fun! We have spent way too much money on candy (that she won’t be eating) and decorations (that she won’t remember). It’s kind of silly really but we wanted her very first birthday to be special.

She brings us such joy and happiness and I know in the years watching her grow we will continue to be awed and amazed by her. But I’m sad that her first year is almost just a memory. I really can’t believe this time last year I only had a little under a month left of pregnancy and that my little Marcella was going to arrive right on her due date.

We love you baby girl! You will always, always be my baby, no matter how big you get.

Mothering Magazine Review

My new favorite magazine is Mothering. It is a fantastic resource for the “crunchy” moms out there with info I just can’t get in a mainstream magazine. Don’t get me wrong, I like mainstream magazines, too but Mothering is practically made for someone like me. Even the ads are products I would buy, like slings, cloth diapers and nursing tops.

I love the articles on subjects like different birth choices, natural toys, breastfeeding and co-sleeping. They have an extensive website with anything you could ever want to know about the attachment parenting lifestyle and forums where you can commiserate with other like-minded moms.

What’s your favorite magazine? I’d love to hear about it and why it’s your favorite.

Aloha Chicken

So, true to my word, I have used my cookbooks. And I’m here to post about it, just like I said I would. :) I got “Deceptively Delicious” for Christmas and, although I don’t have to “hide” anything in my daughter’s dinner, it is still a fun cookbook to have. If you haven’t heard of this cookbook, it is supposed to help you hide veggies and fruits in your food so that your kids (and spouse, even) will eat it. You do this by using purees.

I decided to try the Aloha Chicken. The purees hidden in this dish were sweet potato and pineapple. I normally abhor pineapple so this was a test to see if I could eat something I hated, too. In theory, you should do the purees ahead of time and either freeze or refrigerate but I just did it as I was preparing the meal. This was pretty simple to do since I have a food processor and had purchased the already cut up pineapple in the produce section at the store. It ended up being a great thing for me since then I could give the leftover whole pieces of pineapple and steamed pieces of sweet potato to my daughter who throughly enjoyed it that way. (Interestingly enough, she wouldn’t touch the sweet potato when I mashed it up on her tray but loved taking bites out of the steamed pieces.)

So, on to the rest of the food prep. The rest was super easy. Just cut chicken into finger pieces, dip in flour, then a mix of the 2 purees, coconut and egg white and lastly breadcrumbs. (The recipe actually called for flax seed to be added to the breadcrumbs but I was out and to make it healthier you could use whole wheat bread flour. It also called for soy sauce which I did not add as I did not have any and wanted to be able to give it to my daughter anyway so I didn’t want the extra sodium.) I didn’t have the wooden skewers the recipe called for so I just put the chicken straight in the frying pan with the olive oil.

This was really delicious! The taste reminded me of coconut shrimp actually which I really like. And I did “deceive” myself and was able to eat the chicken without gagging on pineapple. ;) I actually don’t like coconut either (don’t like the texture) but you just get the taste without the texture in this chicken meal. Basically this is fancy chicken fingers which is a very kid-friendly meal if you DO need to hide ingredients.

I’m looking forward to trying other recipes from this cookbook! I think next time I will make the purees ahead of time, though and I can freeze what I don’t need that way for next meal.

Have any of you tried out a new cookbook recently? I’d love to hear about it!

The Tabernacle

Table of Showbread

In my Bible reading, I am currently reading about how the tabernacle was to be built. Being a visual person, I was really curious to see what this actually looked like. I remember seeing visual representations in school, but it has been awhile so I went to do a Google image search and found out that there is actually a tabernacle model located in Timna Park in Israel.

Not only was I curious about what the tabernacle itself looked like, but the garments the high priest wore. Even though I have read this passage several times, I don’t think I ever really paid attention to how detailed the priests outfits were.

I think it is interesting how everyone was involved, whether it was just giving your silver, gold, cloth, etc. to actually making the cherubim or the breastplate for the priest.

Thankfully, today God dwells in us via the Holy Spirit, and there is no longer a need for the Tabernacle where God dwelt in the Holy of Holies. As a result of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, we now all have access to Him!

Doula Defined

I wanted to do something special when I reached 1,000 hits and that day has finally come! So I’m excited to welcome my first guest writer to the blog!! Her name is April and she is also a mommy. She has 3 children (7, 5, and 3) and below will tell you what her job as a doula entails! Be sure to check out her website and Facebook page, too. Enjoy!

I am a doula…a helper to laboring women. I love my “job”!! Seeing a new baby come into the world is amazing. I will never tire of it. Seeing a mother allow her body to birth her baby is also an amazing thing! I have been at several births now and each one is unique. I have been a doula at births at a birthing center and hospitals. I have supported mothers through all different types of childbirth, from a completely natural one to a c-section and everything in between. There are comfort techniques that work for one mother that might not work for another. There are positions that some moms love and others hate. That is what I am there for….to help the mom find what works for her and encourage her in it.

My job is to allow the mother to do whatever works for her during labor, to suggest positions and offer comfort techniques that the parents might not think of on their own. One thing I try to do is include the dad as much as possible during labor. Dads are a great help for the mom, and I never want to take that place. As a doula, I will suggest things that might work for the mom, but it is totally her decision if she wants to take my suggestions. It is all about the mother and allowing her to have the birth she desires.

I will meet with the parents 3 times before the birth of their baby and we will discuss all aspects of their birth, from helping to write a birth plan to answering any questions they might have. I explain to them how I am able to help during labor, through massage, suggesting various positions (sitting on the birthing ball, hands and knees, etc.) and other comfort techniques (cold washcloth, hot rice sock, help with breathing, etc.). I let the mom know that I will be with her the whole time and my focus will be on her, supporting her! I make myself available for phone calls and let the mom know I will come when she is ready for me.

Being a doula has been a very rewarding experience for me!

Thanks to Julia for allowing me to write this post. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments or email them to carolinadoulas@gmail.com

April Menking is a labor doula and childbirth educator. She, along with Kelly Hammond and Katie Padilla run Carolina Doulas, a group dedicated to assisting women in having the birth they desire. All 3 are CAPPA trained and would love to work with you. Visit their website, Carolina Doulas, for more information.

Baby’s Bath Time – Product Reviews

It is so fun to give our babies bath’s! And there are some fun products out there that make it even more enjoyable or make it easier! Below are some of the things I have used and enjoyed!

 

Marcella enjoying bathtime!

 

Bath Luve Frog – Cute and functional, the Bath Luve Frog makes bath time warm for your little one. You simply drape it over baby, after soaking it in warm water and they can stay cozy while you wash away! We certainly benefitted from using it while our daughter was in the newborn stage.

Summer Infant Tub Time Tea Party Set – Our daughter loves playing with her tea set in the bathtub! It floats on top of the water when empty. The teapot can be filled with water and the spout really works so we can fill her little cups or just have fun pouring water on her! The set comes as pictured with a teapot, lid for the teapot, sugar cubes bowl and 2 cups.

Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Moisture Cream – We started using this on our baby’s little legs when she developed some bumps that were dry and scaly. This worked like a charm! We put it on her legs and feet after every bath now.

Mother’s Touch Comfort Bath Support – This was the perfect little support to put in our bathtub for our baby to lay in so we could bathe her. It can be laid flat or elevated (like in the picture below) and is easy to travel with as it folds up and velcros together and has a handle. The only drawback is you have to remember to hang it up to let it dry and then I would have to go back and flip it on the other side to let that side drain and dry so it wouldn’t get mildewy. Other than that, it was a great product that we used up until our little girl could sit up unassisted.

 

Marcella's first bath

 

Cookbooks…My Obsession

I will admit it. I have a problem…a growing problem. I am addicted to cookbooks. I have so many cookbooks and I continue to accumulate them. Have I used them all? Nope, but I can’t bear to part with any of them. My latest acquisition is “The Well-Filled Tortilla” and recently  I even borrowed a cookbook from a friend.

If it was just the cookbooks that would be enough of an issue but that is only the beginning. I have several baby food books as well and my baby has never even had a purée. I have a recipe box and 2 notebooks full of typed and handwritten recipes as well as recipes cut out from magazines. I have a folder in my email of recipes (as well as e-newsletter subscriptions with MORE recipes) and a Word doc on my PC of recipes.

I have a magazine subscription to “Food & Family” and on top of that a whole box filled with magazines I won’t get rid of because there just might be recipes in them I want to save. My iPhone has several  recipe apps and I regularly read several food blogs. My PaperBackSwap account’s wish list contains mostly cookbooks.

You see! I told you I have a problem. And, yes, everything that is linked or pictured is something I own/read.

The craziest part is I don’t even normally use ANY of these!! So, I am making a promise to you, my blog readers. I WILL use one of my cookbooks at least once a week. I will even pledge to use a recipe from one each week, not even the same one. And I will return the cookbook I borrowed. Each week at the bottom of whatever blog I post that week, I will give you the cookbook and the recipe. Keep me accountable! No more letting my poor cookbooks sit loved but dusty and unused!

Blog Giveaways

Just wanted to highlight some awesome blog giveaways going on right now!

Yellow Elm is giving away 2 felt hair clips.

The Grace Post is giving away a copy of the book “Choosing Gratitude” but only until 9pm EST on this one!

Nature Mommy is giving away a resuable cotton produce bag.

Obsessed Analytic is giving away a copy of the book “Three Cups of Tea“.

Scary Mommy is giving away a $180 Wilton Cake Decorating Kit.

Book Review: Grace Walk

I just finished reading a book recommended to me called “Grace Walk“. It deals largely with the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. The back cover describes it this way, “Nothing you have ever done, nothing you could ever do, will match the incomparable joy of letting Jesus live His life through you. It is what makes the fire of passion burn so brightly in new believers. And it is what causes the light of contentment to dance in the eyes of mature believers who have learned the secret of the Grace Walk.”

The first chapter starts with the author in a place of absolute brokenness and is what God used in his life to bring him to a place where he no longer relied on himself but on the Holy Spirit to live through him. The rest of the book describes this for us. In Chapter 2, he writes, “God’s purpose in the breaking process is to bring you to the end of your own resources so that you will be ready to understand that He is the only resource you need in life.”

Chapter 3 deals with our new identity in Christ when we were saved. The take-away is to act like who we are, not who we were when we were dead in our trespasses and sins. This is the lie of Satan. Chapter 4 describes what happened to our old nature. “By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him” Romans 2-3, 6-8.

Chapter 5 shows us that Christ is our life! “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30. The author encourages us not to find fulfillment through self-effort but to let Christ live through us. Chapter’s 6 and 7 explain our freedom in Christ and God’s promise to give us the victory.  “When our focus is on the things we ought to do, we find ourselves struggling to be obedient. We feel bound to do certain things. When we begin to experience Christ as our life on a daily basis, all the matters of Christian living which before were law now become a natural expression and an overflow of His life.” He explains that we will want to do the right things, not out of a sense of obligation but out of our love for our Saviour. The author also states, “As we abide in Christ and allow Him to live His life through us, we live in victory.”

I could go on but you get the point of the book I think. Our pastor has been preaching on the the Holy Spirit as well so it was a great time to read this book to go alongside that. Below is one of his sermons on the topic from a couple months ago.

 The Gospel, Freedom, and the Spirit, Part 1