The 3 C's ~ Week 1

My Pinterest is overflowing with SO many good ideas.  I've decided to start weeding through them to find out what woks, what tastes good, what's simple & what ... well, what isn't what it says it is.  My goal is to try 3 things each week -- want to keep me motivated?  Share some of your ideas.  I'll try them & let you know if they work.  

Cleaning:  I've come across endless suggestions for making your own cleaning supplies.  I've never tried it and really doubted any of them actually work.  I recently borrowed some of my mom's bread pans and noticed they weren't exactly sparkling so I thought I'd try out a recipe for making your pans look "brand new."  

I wouldn't say they look brand new but it is definitely an improvement.  Be warned this takes A LOT of elbow grease!  
link: http://theliberalmormonmom.blogspot.com/2012/04/diy-cleaning-your-baking-sheets.html

Cooking: I'm REALLY trying to make healthy meals that have eliminated most GM ingredients.  Spur of the moment I decided to make cornbread.  I found a recipe that called for corn rather than cornmeal.  There are a few ways to make this recipe healthier: use fresh corn, use 100% whole grain flour - you could alter it in many different ways to make it your own.

link: http://gmomj.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/delicious-corn-bread-real-corn-no-cornmeal/

Crafting: I have more plastic bags than I know what to do with.  We've made the switch to re-useable bags but my grandma gives me all of her old bags (which we use for dirty diapers).  To save space and have easy access I made this:

It's easy and works great (took less than 10 minutes)!  The link said to use 12 bags - I used closer to 50.  
link: http://tatertotsandjello.com/2011/07/summer-social-guest-project-make_21.html

xo, Bridget

Banana Rice Cereal - YUMMY

In my recent "food research" I've read a lot about the dangers of rice cereal and baby food - true or not I'm not willing to risk it! 

One of the main things I came across (and again my words are based on MY findings - see below for a list of ingredients) was the use of GM ingredients & the fact that these ingredients are approved by the FDA and do not require GM labeling.  Since the trio is teeny I definitely want to maximize every possible calorie and ensure what they are consuming is as healthy as possible.  

So, instead of buying pre-made rice and cereal I have started making my own.   At Target a pre-made box of rice/cereal/food runs from $1.00 (pre-made fruits/veggies) to $3.50 (cereal/oatmeal).  This recipe costs less than $2.00 and will yield anywhere between 20-50% MORE food (depending on how much you make at a time and the amount of waste).  This recipe yields enough rice cereal for an entire day for all 3 babies: 

*1 cup water (boil)  *1/4 cup brown rice (add brown rice to the boiling water and stir constantly 5-10min)
*1/2 banana (puree)  *breast milk or formula to consistency 

RESULT: love. The babies love it.  It's easy to make, healthy & smells much better than processed food, too! :)  

(GM Ingredients found is some baby cereals, rice, oatmeal, fruits and veggies: soy lecithin (the 5th ingredient), plant proteins, maltodetrin, soy, corn, potatoes, canola oil, corn syrup) 

13 lbs. in 40 days

My husband won't gloat about his recent weight loss so I will for him!  In less than 2 months he's lost 13 lbs. and not from any kind of diet or exercise (we definitely don't have time for that!)  So how did he loose 13 lbs?  

Eating right.

I've been doing significant research on food  - what we're putting in our body from restaurants and grocery stores.  I have to admit what I've found is seriously frightening!  Some people agree, some disagree, some think it is crazy but I've decided to make a lot of dietary and food changes for us now so that once the trio is older I am already accustom to cooking and shopping the "right away."  

There are a lot of things I would like to ideally change but some of them are just not realistic for us.  The first thing I did, for Andy, was figure out his BMI and how much he SHOULD be consuming each day (a lot less than you'd think).  He started measuring his breakfast (Kelloggs makes an awesome cereal/oatmeal scoop for this) & I made his lunch.  Since then we have scaled back the lunch items and he has noticed he isn't hungry as often.  We eat all of our dinners on salad sized plates - the REAL portion sizes and have sides that fill us but aren't unhealthy - fruits and veggies and homemade bread.  I believe the portion sizing and eliminating snacks is the true reason for the weight loss but there are a few other things we've changed: 

I don't use oil for cooking.  I've eliminated all dyes and foods with dyes from our pantry.  We have eliminated all premade, processed foods including but not limited to: chips, frozen pizza, packaged cookies, premade cake mixes and all other mixes, mac-n-cheese, frozen fries/veggies ... the list goes on!  Thanks to Pinterest I've learned how to cook great tasting alternatives for a fraction of the cost.  We're realistic about this lifestyle change - we won't be able to eliminate everything and our kids will be exposed to foods with dyes and chemicals throughout their life but we wanted to make a change for the better - better health, better money use, better life overall.  

(So far 13 lbs - the goal?  20 lbs.  He is well on his way which isn't easy when you work in a restaurant!) 

Sleep is Overrated

For the past few months I've been surprised at how many of my friends complain about their lack of sleep.  The trio was sleeping 9:30pm-7/8am and I was getting MORE sleep than I had since becoming pregnant - some things are just too good to be true.  

When the trio came home in early November we followed their NICU routine and woke them every 3 hours to eat.  Everyone ate at the same time and the entire feeding routine took less than 20 minutes.  They immediately went back to sleep and within a week or two Andy and I no longer felt exhausted.  By mid December we went from three night feeds (1am, 4am, 7am) to two night feeds (2:30-3:30 and 7-7:30) and by January we were sleeping through the night!  It was a natural progression that we happily welcomed.  Of course there were rough nights - usually ones that followed days where their routine was altered but for the most part everyone slept soundly.  

All of a sudden, around 5 months, everything changed.  It started with Lucas who woke around 3-4am but not to eat, to snuggle.  It seemed easiest and natural to just let him get his snuggles in bed.  The second he was in my arms he fell back to sleep and the night went on, silently.  A few weeks later Mackenzie either realized Lucas was getting something she wasn't or  decided that sleep was overrated.  In the past few weeks she has consistently woken at 2:30-3am wide awake, ready to play.  I tried limiting her naps throughout the day which of course caused lots of screaming and when it was time for bed she passed out the second the bottle touched her lips which led to starvation in the middle of the night - a vicious cycle.  The midst of all of this is Owen who sleeps peacefully through everything!  

The last two nights have been especially challenging so I was excited to see an article posted on Facebook this morning about infant sleep patterns (see below).  Whether this regression is "normal" or not I'm anxious to go back to SLEEPING!  I will admit there are a few things we could do to make things less stressful -

*Take the Plunge and move to cribs - I am being really selfish with this transition.  Having them sleep in our room is easier for us & I feel more comfortable having them close by.

*I am absolutely against "crying it out" but we could try the "no attention" method of night feeding where you keep the lights dim and don't make eye contact or cuddle.

*We could stop co-sleeping with Lucas.  But in my heart I think he needs the closeness (and to be honest so do I).  

Maybe this is just a stage, maybe it is their way of telling us they're ready for a new sleep routine, maybe it is ... anything is possible.  Maybe tonight will be better! :)

*Article: Normal, Human Infant Sleep: Feeding Method & Development: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201302/normal-human-infant-sleep-feeding-method-and-development

Developmental Milestones

I like to think each of my babies gets an equal amount of love, attention and opportunities to grow.  During 1:1 time I think they are perfect - the smartest of all but when they are together their strengths and areas of needed growth are more apparent.  

Everyone is meeting their 3.5m adjusted age goals: follows objects with eyes, can bear weight on legs, does mini-push ups, smiles and laughs, coos squeals and gurgles, notices hands, blows bubbles, recognizes your face and holds head steady.  

They are also meeting 4-6m goals: can grasp toys, imitates sounds, rolls from tummy to back, recognizes own name.  

It is very reassuring that even though they were significantly premature they are still meeting developmental goals but I wonder - what else can I be doing?  What toys would help them develop each skills?  How can I divide my time equally and/or fairly so each babies' needs are met?

Each day their personalities and individuality becomes more apparent.  Although they are all meeting goals each one is stronger in a different area.  Owen is the best eater.  He has the stronger muscles so he can spend the most time on his tummy and is able to sit more independently.  Lucas is the most vocal.  He is just starting to army crawl and can imitate many sounds.  Mackenzie has the best fine motor skills and plays with toys for their intended purpose - she spins them, hits them so they light up and shakes them.  

It is truly amazing to see the growth they have each week and I am anxious to for the next big milestones - sitting up and crawling!!!  I'm anxious to hear what your kiddos are doing!  

xo, Bridget

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

This picture doesn't do justice to how ah-mazing our dinner was tonight!  Aside from the Worcestershire sauce both dinner & dessert were made from things we already had in our pantry - BBQ chicken sandwiches & white chocolate snickerdoodle pudding cookies.  

I can't take credit for the recipes, only credit for spending countless hours on Pinterest looking for tasty food.  

So for less than $12.00 and less than 15 minutes of prep this was pretty darn perfect!  

Sandwiches: We added Gouda & Cheddar Cheese: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/zesty-slow-cooker-chicken-barbecue/detail.aspx

Cookies: http://www.somethingswanky.com/white-chocolate-snickerdoodle-pudding/

My other Pinterest success of the past 24 hours is my menu chart!  

Also coming this week:

*shrimp stir fry

*home made pizza

*chicken parmesan 

*mini cheesecake cupcakes

...yum yum!

Welcome! :)

I'm very excited to begin a new blog of our family adventures!  
On September 30, 2012 we welcomed Owen, Lucas & Mackenzie.  Now, at almost 6 months, they are full of energy and making great strides each day.

I'm hoping to share with you:


*our sign language activities
*crock pot meals
*meals under $10
*easy art projects
*baby activities
& our everyday fun!
xo, Bridget