The Mom Crowd

We’re less than a week away!

What are your Thanksgiving plans this year? Who does the cooking? Do you battle the crowds at the mall the day after? Tell us! Tell us!!

Parenthacks.com is a really cool website that publishes practical parenting tips from actual parents. You can browse through the categories for suggestions for your child’s age or keep up with the most current tips on the front page. A lot of the tips are really easy to do and they just might make your life a little simpler. Check out the website.

In Dooce’s latest blog post, she mentioned the effect of Daylight Saving’s Time on her daughter’s class at school. This got me thinking about Ace’s own sleep schedule being all jacked up. I really thought it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. I thought a week was enough time to adjust. I was wrong.

She now wakes up around 6:00 a.m. instead of her usual 7:00 a.m. I returned my borrowed copy of ‘Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child’ so I can’t look up how to correct the situation. I’ve been letting her cry until about 6:30 a.m. hoping she gets the message that she is not going to see me anytime before 6:30 a.m. every morning.

I have scoured the internet looking for advice and only found one article.

How about you? Did you appropriately adjust your child’s schedule before the time change? Are your kids back to normal yet? Did their schedule even change? Any advice for a First Time Mom like me experiencing the joys of an hour earlier schedule?

You’re probably thinking, “who has time to make their own baby food?” I can assure you that you have time! Making your own baby food is a lot easier than you think and will save your family a lot of money. There are other benefits to making your own baby food. Gone are the days of reading labels and watching for hidden additives. Making your own baby food ensures that there are no hidden ingredients in your baby’s food that he or she may be allergic to. Serving homemade baby food to your child will make their transition to table food less stressful because they’ll be exposed to a greater variety of tastes and textures. Another benefit to home made baby food is that you can make sure that your babies food tastes yummy! Have you ever tasted jarred baby food? YUCK!

1. Prep Work

Wash, cook, and peel fruits and vegetables. The microwave is an extremely quick way to cook your vegetables! Try to always buy organic. Some great foods to start your baby on are avocados, sweet potatoes, bananas, and baby cereal.

2. Mash and Puree

Some foods, such as bananas and avocados, mash easily with a fork. Others, such as mangoes and broccoli, may require the use of a blender or food processor. I like to use my Oster Hand Blender or my Black and Decker Food Chopper to puree my baby’s food. Babies who are just starting out need very smooth foods, while older babies can have more textured foods. I haven’t had the need for a big food processor, although I imagine having one would make this process even quicker!

3. Freeze

Scoop pureed fruit or vegetables into ice cube trays. Put foil over tray and put the covered ice cube tray of pureed food in the freezer.

4. Organize

After cubes have been in the freezer overnight, or about 12 hours, pop out each individual cube, and transfer the cube to a freezer quality zip lock bag. Don’t forget to label the bags with the name of the food and the expiration date. You can store fruits and vegetables for up to three months in the freezer. Some fruits and vegetables can technically be stored in the freezer for longer, however fruits and vegetables can start to lose nutrients during the thawing process after being in the freezer for too long. It is best to serve your frozen baby food within 3 months.

5. Thaw and Serve

You can thaw frozen cubes by placing them in the refrigerator. Please use this baby food though within two days. You can also microwave the frozen cubes straight out of the freezer when your baby is ready to eat. Just make sure your baby’s food is not too hot before serving!

Resources:
For more detailed information on making your own baby food, you can purchase or check out from the library the book, “Super Baby Food” by Ruth Yaron or visit the Super Baby Food website. In the book you will find all the details of making your own baby food, including:

• what foods baby can eat at what age
• how long you can store every fruit and vegetable in the freezer
• how to easiest cook your veggies
• a really fun toddler recipe section!

Libraries, pediatricians, parent-groups, midwives, and other baby care professionals can receive a free copy of the book “Super Baby Food” by clicking here.

Helpful Tools:

Oster Hand Blender
Black and Decker Food Chopper
Nifty Frozen Cube Storage Option

What is your baby’s favorite food? Do you have any tips or tricks on making this process even more simple? What homemade baby food books do you like?

Do you hate lugging your car seat into places? Even if you carry your child in to the store you still have the pleasure of wrestling arms and straps in that easy-to-get-in-and-out car seat. Two words: Curbside Service.

I wanted to pick up a fancy lunch to celebrate with a friend on our play date and was willing to splurge a little on lunch. I didn’t want drive-thru. We decided on some pizzas from California Pizza Kitchen. My friend agreed to go online, view the menu, and email me her order. When I went to their menu online I saw that they offered curbside service. I thought how perfect! I won’t have to drag Ace in with me, fumble for my wallet to pay, and carry my order back to the car.

I called the order in before I left my house. They asked for the make and model of my car and told me it would be ready in twenty to twenty five minutes. It usually takes me that long to finish getting Ace and myself out the door.

I pulled up to one of the designated parking spots appropriately on the curb next to the restaurant. Within minutes a waitress comes to my car and gives me the receipt. I pay her and she says that she will be right back with my order. She gave me my order and I was off! It was so great.

I really appreciated the curbside service. It was a nice splurge on a delicious lunch.

Here is a list of popular restaurants that offer curbside service:

California Pizza Kitchen
Carino’s Italian Grill
Ruby Tuesdays
Outback Steakhouse
Cheesecake Factory

Do you know of any other restaurants that are not on the list that offer curbside service? Have you had any bad experiences with this service?