What's in a "Nickname"?

As a kid I never had a nickname. This always made me kind of sad. Although I tried to create a few for myself every now and then, none of them ever stuck. I got thinking of nicknames the other day when my older daughter started calling my younger daughter "Daffodil." It came from a book that we read about birthdays (which is another obsession of my almost 3 year olds seeing that her birthday is just around the corner and she can't wait until she is the girl of the day!). The girl in the book whose birthday is being celebrated has a sister named Daffodil. I think it is cute, I wonder if it will stick. Things change around here like the laundry, so you never know. Feel free to add any stories you may have on nicknames and where they came from.

"So, Honey, what's for dinner?"

I hate those words! As wife, I have somehow assumed the position of short-order chef and I really don't remember accepting that in the job description. I just have to say, I am glad that my husband and family don't mind left overs and on the spot food improvisions (i.e. English muffin pizzas and the good old standby- quesadillas!). At Mom-to-Mom, we have shared these woes over and over again. I often say that the best advice my Mom gave me was to think of dinner right after breakfast. This is good, but better would be if I could actually create a week or 2 week long menu of meal plans. I've tried it lately, and that has taken the stress off somewhat. But, I have a hard time keeping on top of it. My sister-in-law started using E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families, which is a meal plan that you can buy for $5 a month and takes all the thinking out of it. They even include a grocery list! Many of you do meal planning, in much more detail than me, so if you would, please share some of your tips! How do you keep it going and where do you get your meal ideas?

How to Keep Your House Clean

We all know how it is: we are busy with baby all day that often the house work takes a back burner. And then right after we do manage to squeeze in some cleaning, things get all messy again! Same as the laundry! There just is no end. Here are a few websites that might help you get organized and get motivated to clean, even when you only have a few minutes! And as the FLY Lady says, you deserve a clean house! If you have any other tips, share with us!
www.flylady.com
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/home/clean-your-house-in-19-minutes-269031/

Oh, the Places You'll Go! Baby Friendly Places

It is always fun to take Baby places, but where? Here are a few that we thought of. Feel free to add your favorites, too!
1. Playtime Village
2. Library Story Time or Music Class
3. Beardsley Park Zoo
4. Maritime Aquarium
5. Stepping Stone Musuem
6. The Children's Musuem in New Haven (free for babies under 1)
7. Harvest Festivals
8. Berry Picking- Jones Farm has quite a variety all summer long and even into the fall with pumpkins!
9. Beach
10. Mall Play Areas
11. Pet shops to look at the animals

How we save money....

So, here's the list of ideas of how our Moms are saving money....
-buy store brands
-ride a motorcycle
-trade your car in
-plan meals
-buy and sell & trade on ebay, craigslist, and freecycle
-don't shop.
-buy in bulk
-stock up at sales
-lock in oil price
-work from home
-burn wood
-cook more and eat out less
-breastfeed
-live with family
-live close to where you work
-work part time
-use coupons
-only buy baby clothing on sale
-cluster errands
-pay bills on-line

This is by no means an "all inclusive" list! How do YOU save money??

Our Sweet Babies!!

Here are some great pictures from the group- thanks, Kristen!!

Good Eats....

First, let me just give a great big THANK YOU to Maggie for her Baby Food Expertise!! Most of the following is from her fantastic handouts.

Bonus prize to anyone who can name all the foods pictured above!!! What a rainbow!

Let's talk about Making Your Own Baby Food! All you need to get started is the following: big pot, steamer, food processor (or food mill or blender), ice cube trays (or "Baby Cubes") and an excited team of Mom & Babe!

Some have started solids earlier, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (or AAP for those of you who like abbreviations) does recommend breastfeeding (or bottle feeding) exclusively for the first 6 months. Most babies are showing signs like watching you eat, reaching for food, and just don't seem as satisfied with just bottles or nursing by this point.

FYI- there is not any research that I am aware of that your baby will sleep better when eating solids- an old wives tale.

How to make Baby Food- most anything can be washed well, peeled, steamed, blended up and fed to your baby! The favorites to start with are: rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, apples, and butternut squash. Try each new thing for 3-4 days by itself before starting a new food- this way you can make sure that your baby is not allergic!

Here are the names of the books that we talked about:

First Meals by Annabel Karmel (this has nice pictures, but mixed review as far as recipes and info)

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron (this is a thick book with no pictures, but has great advice and good recipes)

So Easy Baby Food by Joan Ahlers and Cheryl Tallman (simple and easy, just like the name)

The Baby Cubes are from One Step Ahead and are $7.95, the So Easy Baby Food Kit (book and storage trays) is available at One Step Ahead for $37.95 The So Easy Trays are available at Target for $13.99.

Here are a few of my favorite baby foods-

1. Canned pumpkin- can it get any easier than this?

2. Pureed peaches mixed with corn- they're the same color, so why not? The baby LOVES it!!

3. Pureed organic applesauce

What's your favorite baby food recipe?