Merry Christmas!

Despite all the incidents of 2008, it was a fantastic year. Our lives are so rich and full and blessed beyond measure. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and see you in 2009!

Will It Ever End?

Last night our house was broken into. Straight up kicked down the door. This is the very reason that we put EVERYTHING into storage, despite what the insurance company wanted us to do. A few years ago our house was broken into & burglarized before while we were renovating. Lance hasn't been in yet, but I hope that nothing was vandalized.

If there ever was an ounce of humor in our situation, it's over. What is UP with people?!?!?! Insurance company, here we come again!

Today I Ate Pizza

And it really wasn't that great. I don't know why I picked pizza as my returning-to-a-normal-diet-celebration-food. I don't even like pizza that much. I've decided that I could go the rest of my life without cheese, I think. It's just not my temptation or indulgence of choice. Milk & oreos, however, are another story. They were delicious & did not disappoint.

In the 5 months since Katie Belle's birth, I've had a cumulative total of about 1 ounce of milk/egg/nut/shellfish in my diet. In the 3 months prior to that, I was eating those things in very, very, very small doses. I guess I'm going to start eating normally now. The past few months haven't been that bad, really. Much easier than I expected. Eating out is a pain, but I'm used to that. It's easier to feed myself than Ethan, when we're out. I'm fine if I just have a salad for lunch, but I can't quite convince E. that it's a good idea.

Eating normally makes me feel a bit guilty. Until E. outgrows this (which I hope he will), it is not a novelty, or a test. He has no idea what cheese tastes like. Or oreos & milk. I hope he will one day.

Visit from TC

Our friend Tommy came to visit from Colorado last week. We had a great visit, as always. Here was the highlight of my week - everyone but me cooking. Okay, my dad stayed clear of the kitchen too. But it was a sweet sight steering clear, while Tommy and his crew made Chicken Coconut Curry & Chapatis.

Sorry Tommy, but I had to link to Wikipedia. I just...had to.

Save Handmade!

Yikes! In an effort to reduce toxins in some of the mass-produced toys, clothing, etc. for children, the CPSC passed the ill-conceived Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act which goes into effect in two months and will absolutely decimate the small toy manufacturers, independent artisans, and crafters who have already earned the public trust. Read more about it here, at Cool Mom Picks. If you have appreciation for small business owners, artisans & stay-at-home moms who make products for children, please read how you can help.

The above link will tell you what to do, but those of you who also live in Tennessee's 5th district are represented by The Honorable Jim Cooper.

Playgroup Party

Our playgroup party, last weekend.

I promise to be more interesting in January. For now, I'm busy with Christmas plans, house renovations, a toddler, and a baby that still won't sleep through the night!

Burger & Fries, Hold the Cheese & Mayo

A couple of months ago, we were excited to find another place that we could all eat as a family - yeah!!! So we've been going with some regularity, which I've loved because - FINALLY - a break from all the cooking from scratch. So every time, we order E. the burger & fries - "No Cheese, No Seasoning. And For the Record, we have Food Allergies, so write it down on that little pad of yours & tell your friends back in the kitchen." So again last night we ordered our meal, and when it arrived, Lance noticed there were bitty bits of cheese all over the burger and a dollop of mayonnaise in the ketchup. Ahh! Both of these were not totally obvious, but he fortunately had looked over the meal when it arrived. E could have totally eaten these things had we been a bit less observant. We talked with our server and he said the spatula dropped cheese onto the burger. Hello! Food allergies! Can you use a spatula without cheese all over it?!?! This is such a pain. As careful as we are, I don't know if I can ever trust a dining experience. Will I ever get a real break from cooking? (pictured: not from our restaurant.)

Quilting

Last night I started a quilt. Why? I'm completely crazy. I completely don't have time, but couldn't find what I wanted for Ethan's room to match his new sheets. I fell in love with this quilt. But just wasn't in the mood to spend $800. Go figure. Here I go! I'm almost done with the top, but plan to do the quilting by hand. I've heard to expect that it will take me 6 months. I'm hoping I can make better time than that!

Sarah & Jake!

We had a wonderful whirlwind time in Chicago for Sarah's wedding! Sarah was a beautiful bride. The babies all did great. Congratulations Sarah & Jake!The babies preferred this portion of the wedding the best.
Here's how things went with Lizzie & Katie Belle. Lizzie would grab Katie Belle's hand (or try to eat her face). Katie Belle would squeal in delight. Lizzie would shriek in horror. We separate them. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat.
Heather, Matthew, Cash, Jake, Sarah, Us, Jen & Mason.

Craigslist

I've been spending a lot of time on Craigslist lately. I got E. a 5-piece wooden kitchen, plus wooden playfood -all for $100. What an awesome deal. (Wooden Kitchens are expensive. This set, 3-pieces, from Pottery Barn is $700!) Shhh! Don't tell Ethan!! It's his Christmas gift.

Anyway, someone should own this couch & chair. How awesome is this? Completely not the style of our house, but if it was, I would be all over it. Only $750, OBO.

Economy Got You Down?

Check out You Tube's Depression Cooking with Clara. 93-year old Clara shared cooking tips from her youth. There are several episodes. They seem to be mostly centered around pastas, potatoes, and very very little meat. I'm inspired! What do you think?

Ups & Downs

A piece of advice: If you are doing renovations to your house, hire a contractor you really trust, not the one who is the cheapest. We were locked into a decision, since the insurance company would only approve the estimate of the guys who worked super-cheap. It was a bad place to be in. Fortunately, Lance is also an architect, so he was able to spot some things that didn't meet codes. But Lance fired the contractor, so things will hopefully be looking up. We'll either hire a new one (if we can afford it at this point) or Lance will serve as general contractor from here on out.

It has now been over 2 months since the repairs got started, and we're really ready to get this whole big mess behind us. It has been a frustrating 2 months, and I'm sure it would bore you to tears for me to tell you all the details.

We've also decided to do some serious upgrades & other renovations. We decided since our whole family was being booted from our home, we'd go ahead and replace windows, the roof & other stuff while we were at it.

So in my spare time (which there is very little of) I'm daydreaming on sites like: Remodelista, Apartment Therapy, Domino, Shelterrific, among others.

Has it been 4 Months?

I can't believe 4 months have gone by so quickly!

My New Blog

After much hesitation, I've decided to start a new blog, AllergySupport.blogspot.com. This will be a format to discuss products, recipes, and issues relating to food allergies. I know that many people frequently look at my past posts about food allergies, so I thought it might be good to have a place to put information just related to that topic.

I would love to have it be a blog which has 3-4 contributors, so the information is posted more often. I know I won't have tons of time to devote to it. If you would like to be a contributor, please let me know! I'd love to have some help with it to keep it going strong!

I will continue to occasionally post food allergy info here, but the new blog."> will be completely devoted to it.

Baby Shoes

I've been completely unprepared for all the stuff a little baby girl needs for cold Sunday mornings. Dress, Tights, Bloomers, Sweater, Shoes. Ahh! But you're now looking at the proud owner of baby shoes from etsy seller, LilCubby. These are not the ones I purchased, but these cuties are still for sale!

Thinkin' About Cars

I'm thinking about Christmas, and Ethan's birthday, coming up soon. Plus, the move back into our house, which will come...Someday. So I've been scouring the internet to find some of the best car-related gifts & room decor.

I typed in "Car" on etsy, and have just finished scouring the 356 pages of results. Here are just a few of my favorites: Car Activity Table
Wooden Cars
Car Mug
Cruisin' Cars Announcement
Pillow with Chalkboard
Light Switch Cover
Pillow
Red Truck Pillow
Bucket Toy Organizer
Gift Tags
Car Stationary
Hanging Magnetic Board
Car Painting
Cars on Vacation Bowl
Race Car Switchplate
And if I had a car-obsessed girl, she'd for sure get this little car coin purse.

Playgroup, 2nd Generation

The second round of our playgroup is underway! I'm so glad for the friendships with these girls & their kids. Here is Cash, with his little girl friends, Mary Michael & Katie Belle.

More Cousins

More fun with cousins last week.

StickerHead

When you let your child go to bed with stickers, he might just wake up like this:

Fall

We enjoyed hanging out yesterday underneath the most beautiful tree on the planet. I love fall!

My Husband

He's taken, Ladies. And if you've wondered - yes, that's a photo of him gracing the walls of our airport as well.

The 7 Things Thing

I've been tagged to do the whole 7 Things Thing. But I've been putting it off. 7 things is much harder than 100 Things was. But - finally - here it is.

1. I'm frugal but have several weaknesses...scarves & vintage table linens in particular.
2. The best way to get me to ignore you is to start talking numbers.
3. I've moved 9 times in 6 years of marriage.
4. I hate having people stick their finger in my belly button.
5. I can't stand spending money on things that get used one time. (Halloween Costumes are fresh on the mind.)
6. I cannot resist stopping at a lemonade stand.
7. I love love love to dance. But Ethan is the only person I can get to dance with me around here.

I'm supposed to tag some others. But right now I'm typing one-handed & can't bother with it. If you're reading, just do it too!

Note: I changed out the photo, because I was told the other was "not super-becoming." I don't know if this is any better, but I don't have any of just me!

Cookbook Winner!

As tempting as it was to rig this thing, I did it the old-fashioned-drawing way. I thought maybe I could rig it to let an old friend win. Or maybe a new friend, to let them know that I'm glad they like my blog. With a twist of irony, Courtney was the winner!!! You might remember that a few months ago, I won a drawing for her jewelry! I thought about redrawing, because surely no one would believe that this was completely random. But it is. Crazy.

If you are interested in buying a cookbook anyway, I'll let you know in the next few weeks where to pick one up. We'll either sell them through the gym or our church. All proceeds go to help children in Nairobi, Kenya. Watch a mini-documentary here. Lance & I were fortunate to go several years ago. It's life changing.

Salmon Fingers

I want to give myself a high five for finding a recipe that makes my child love salmon. Here's the original recipe. I've marked my changes to replace the egg. Sure, boxed stuffing isn't that great for you. But hey, my kid's eating salmon!

How to: Combine 1 can or sealed pouch of salmon, 3⁄4 cup stuffing mix [making sure it's free of allergens], 5 Tbs mayo [I used Follow Your Heart Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise], 1 egg (lightly beaten) [I used this flax egg replacement], and 2 tsp lemon juice. Shape into 6 "fingers" and chill for 15 minutes. Cook with oil in a skillet over medium heat until brown on all sides.

Click here for more ways to use your stuffing.

Learning to Wink

A special moment caught on camera.

Giveaway drawing is Monday. Be sure to enter!

Cookbook Giveaway!

I'm so glad I get to meet all you nice people who check in with me about my little life. I'm convinced that we're pretty dull to read about, but I'm honored that you keep coming back to see what we're up to. I can hardly convince my blood relatives to check in on my blog. Anyway, to say thanks, I'm going to have a random giveaway right here. Just leave me a comment, and I'll select at random & mail it right out to you. How easy is that?

If you've been hanging around here for a while, you've seen the Climb Nashville cookbook that we put together last January. We shelved the few remaining to pull out to sell this Christmas season. So here we are, pulling them back out. And I decided that it would make a stellar giveaway. I've made 68 of the recipes in the cookbook, and only disliked two!

It's vegetarian & vegan recipes. And for those of you who think this cookbook is not for you....it is. Unless all you eat are meat patties.

Let the games begin. (If you bought one already, you can still enter & maybe get yourself a free little Christmas gift to pass along!)

Grieving

A good article today on DesignMom.com, on how to show support to parents grieving the loss of a baby. Definitely worth reading. Unfortunately, I've known people who have gone through similar experiences & you might as well. We might become better friends to those parents by reading this article.

Zane & Jodi

More friends leave for Texas! We'll miss you, Zane & Jodi!!

Trunk or Treat

Last night's Trunk or Treat was bunches of fun, although E spent most of the night avoiding the camera, as seen below. I was so excited to see lots of non-food options while trunk or treating! I'm so thankful for friends & family who are so good to us! A special "thank you" if you had a food option we could take last night!

Kid Meal Ideas

I'm no expert about feeding a toddler. Practically all my ideas come from somewhere else. So here are a few of the websites I like to look at for inspiration. Keep in mind that these websites are not geared towards the healthy!
Kaboose
Family Fun
Blissfully Domestic
Wholesome Toddler Food
Martha Stewart Living
Vegan Lunchbox
Little Nummies for Little Tummies

And here are some good-looking Menu Ideas for a Toddler!
Home Packed Lunches your Kids will Eat
Lunch Ideas for a Toddler from ChefMom.com
6 Easy Healthy Toddler Meals

I also employ sneaky/deceptive tactics, like that of Jessica Seinfeld & Missy Chase Lapine!

I'm always looking for new lunchbox recipes that are good for a toddler! Here's my favorite. Do you have any good ones? Share, share share!

Food Allergies on the Rise

Last year, one in 29 children had food allergies, up 18% over the previous 10 years. Read about the new study here.

Super Baby Food

Do you have "Super Baby Food"? If you are a parent, you've got to pick it up. It has SO much information, that it can be a bit overwhelming. But it’s nice to have it all the info you might ever need about feeding your child, all in one place.

Here are just some of the topics included in this book:
Baby-Feeding Info
Super healthy recipes for babies – toddlers.
Extensive information on diet and nutrition
Money & Timesaving Tips
Childcare & Prenting tips.
Food decorating, cake patterns, and toddler party ideas
Craft Ideas
Recipes for household products, such as baby-safe drain cleaners, furniture polish, window cleaners, baby wipes & more.

Here is just a few of the countless headings:
How to Buy & Store Legumes
The Super Baby Food Diet
How to make Homemade Oil Spray
Freezing Eggs
Toddler Take-Along Lunches
How to make a Homemade Sticker Book
How to remove Urine Stains & Odors
Growing Herbs in your Window Sill
How to get more Vitamin D in your Diet

I look at this book pretty regularly to get ideas on lunches, crafts, nutrition, etc! Today's Tip from "Super Baby Food": Sandwiches made with these fillings can be frozen for up to 2 months: peanut butter, jelly, cream cheese, hummus, prune butter, tuna salad, mashed banaba & yogurt cheese.

Feeding Kids

I think about food all the time. And not about eating it - About cooking it. Despite my current sugar problem (I’m working on it!) I’ve always been interested in eating healthy. I wasn’t great at it, but I have always been interested in trying new things & making good choices. My mom (who is currently going all RAW) is a very good nutrition role model for me.

Then I found out our son had some food allergies. This presented a whole new set of challenges when preparing food. And a whole new set of challenges to get him the nutrients he needs, since there are tons of proteins/calcium lacking in his diet. So now I work extra hard to think about what he needs to eat.

I have several personal philosophies about feeding my children, although not uniquely my ideas. Here they are:
1) Try Something New – We try new foods & recipes all the time.
2) Keep Trying - It takes 10 exposures before a new food is accepted, right? Ethan is rarely a plate cleaner, but I keep trying. Surely one day he’ll pick up that carrot and actually eat it!
3) Offer about 5 things on their plate at mealtime (at least 2 of which you know they’ll eat). – This way he probably won’t go to bed hungry, but I’m not afraid to put food on a plate that he likely won’t eat. You just never know when a toddler might change his mind.
4) Don’t let your personal opinions affect your child – Never in a million years did I think Ethan would eat a straight up tomato. I never even thought about offering it. But one day, he grabbed a cherry tomato, bit into it & never looked back. Also, my son loves tofu. Go figure.
5) Don't Force It - I try not to make a bit deal forcing Ethan to eat his food. But I always encourage just a bite of a new food. If he chooses not to eat dinner at all, he knows that’s it until breakfast.

Over the next few days, I'm going to post a few of my favorite food resources. How do you make sure your kids eat wholesome meals? Feel free to chime in if you have other thoughts on feeding kids!

Campin' In The City

Last night was a great night for camping in the city. We had a little campfire, cooked hot dogs, smores, soup, & campfire apple pie. The kids had a blast, conversation with friends was tons of fun, and the weather was great. The best part of camping out in your yard? It's cheap, you can coffee right away in the morning, and you don't have to potty in the woods. In this economy, I think this is my new favorite vacation.

12 Weeks

Good Clean Fun

We have like, a million nieces & nephews. My 16-yr-old nephew has a blog, which I'm very entertained by. This is what he & his brothers are up to - putting the leaf blower in each other's faces & taking pictures. Hilarious, right? And also...Disgusting?
It brings me back to the entertaining game of Shake Face, as demonstrated here by this guy. More shake faces can be found here.

Both repulsive & hilarious. Am I right?

Bento Boxes & Mabel's Labels

I've already blogged about these, but I'm loving my new Bento boxes! Perfect for packing healthy lunches. I was inspired by the pretty food at the Vegan Lunchbox. Also lovin' labels from Mabel's Labels. Customizable for every child, even those with food allergies!