A Garden for Ms. Gardner

When I taught Kindergarten we grew grass in little plastic cups.  That is the extent of my planting experience and knowledge.  

This year I decided to try and grow a few vegetables - tomatoes, green beans, sweet peas, peppers, cucumbers, carrots and a pumpkin or two.

I really had no expectations but figured it was worth a shot.  To my surprise everything has taken (so far)!  At first I planned to just put them in pots - it seemed much easier.  Now, though, I am dedicating a portion of our yard to an actual garden - little fence, plants - the real deal.  It will take some elbow grease but I'm hoping for a good outcome.  

Why now?  There are a few reasons for this new activity - baby food, a hobby & making my own tomato sauce.  I would love to make my baby food not only from fresh produce but from MY produce!  Since I'm not teaching anymore I really have no hobbies that aren't baby related so maybe I'll fall in love with this, you never know.  This has also given me a new avenue for recipes as I've been researching new things I can make with these particular veggies (I'm mostly looking forward to Asian Beef with Sweet Peas).  

For now, it's one day at a time and hoping the seeds yield something tasty! :)

(When I taught I was "Ms. Gardner."  When we were growing grass we had a planting center with seeds, dirt, water and journals for writing down what we grew.  One of my students drew a flower garden and titled it - in her writing - "a grdn fr ms. gardner")

Feeding At the ZOO

Feeding 3 has always been a challenge!  Do you feed all 3 at the same time and try to balance bottles and burps?  Do you stagger feeding and spend most of your day on meals?  Where do you feed them?  How do you ensure everyone eats enough?  Where do you find time to make organic foods?  How do you get them to take their vitamins?    

I'll be the first to admit I dread "meal time."  It's stressful, time consuming and constantly involves fussiness (waiting isn't one of our best attributes).  When the babies were teeny tiny everyone said this was "the hardest time."  Maybe my memory has faded but I think things were MUCH easier from birth-5 months.  Their routine was fabulous and predictable, everyone slept great, eating was a breeze.  Now, with teething and more mobility, things are more challenging.  Don't misread this and think I'm complaining - I love their new abilities! They're more social, more engaged, laugh and talk - I wouldn't trade our current stage for the previous.  That being said I have had to make many adjustments to our routine to maintain a calm, peaceful and developmentally appropriate environment.  

The first adjustment was adding transitional activities.  We used to go from one thing to another, quickly.  Now, if I want a constant flow I need to have toys, music and silly faces to keep them occupied while they wait for their turn.  

Another change is location.  Since adding solids we have had to relocate our feeding area.  Luckily we have a fabulous table (aka baby prison) that makes spoon feeding easy.  We still use the Boppy pillows for bottle propping - this allows all 3 to eat at the same time.  Now that they are interested in holding their own bottles this has become more challenging but for now it is still a successful arrangement.  

To ensure everyone eats their portion and vitamin I use plates with 3 dividers.  We all eat together, one spoonful at a time.  I add the vitamins right to their food - tricky, I know!  

Right now, at 7 months, we are eating solids 3x/day.  We're eating ~30oz. of formula in addition to the solids which equals ~650-700calories/day - right on track for their "real age."  The trio likes bananas, banana baby yogurt, avocado, green beans and squash.  Occasionally they eat rice cereal mixed with their solids but for the most part eat just the fruit/veggie since they already have rice in their bottles.  Thanks to my Baby Bullet these foods are easier to make than a grilled cheese!!!  

Fingers crossed that in the months to come they start holding their own bottles and meal time will be less stressful!!!  

Sleep Tight!

"Operation Crib" has gone much smoother than we planned for!!  Admittedly there were some rough moments but overall the trio has adapted nicely - they needed a few snuggles and help transitioning out of different positions but seem to like the freedom to sleep in their own space.

I attribute our success to our strict routines - daytime and bedtime.  I've also been making a strong effort to have them take their naps exclusively in their cribs as oppose to letting them fall asleep in their swings and moving them.  A few easy changes to the daytime routine has yielded much better sleep for them and us!!  Here is a quick look at our current schedule:

*8am Bottle

*10am Bottle, Cereal & Banana 

*11am Morning Nap (30-45 minutes)

*1pm Bottle, Cereal & Veggie (squash, green beans or avocado) 

*1:30 Afternoon Nap (2 hours)

*4pm Bottle

*6:30pm Bottle, Cereal & Veggie (different than the morning)

*8:30 Bedtime Routine - Bath with lotion massage, Bottle, Swing

If nothing else I am grateful to have my bed back - to be able to sleep in any position I want! :) 

The 3 C's ~ Week 3

Cooking:  We're not going completely gluten free but I have been trying to eliminate as many unhealthy things as possible from our diet.  I thought I would try this gluten free recipe with no expectations.

These were surprisingly VERY good!  They require very few ingredients and made the whole house smell like spring! :)

link: http://dashingdish.com/recipe/strawberry-shortcake-muffins/

Crafting: I wanted to give my cousin something cute and creative as a going away gift, from the trio.  I found many variations of this poem on Pinterest and made a few changes.  

link: http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/originals/a5/51/83/a55183aa2afda9e68c9619801b542daf.jpg

Cleaning: I feel like I have "to do" lists everywhere - on scraps of paper, in my iPhone, on post-it notes.  This week I decided to reduce the lists and make one list that Andy and I could both always see (and find!) so we hung it on the fridge.  It has 3 columns - to do, in progress & complete.  I've written all of our monthly tasks on small post-it notes (pay bills, purchase formula, grocery list, etc) and as they are finished they can be moved to complete and then tossed.  So far, this week, we have eliminated more things than usual.  I think this will be most beneficial for when (assuming ever) we have an extra 5 minutes and want to eliminate a task.  

Operation Crib

Some days you feel like a great parent - everything goes smoothly.  

Other days you feel like an absolute failure - nothing works, they're fussy, they don't sleep and you start to wonder what you're doing wrong.  

On a lot of levels I feel like a great parent.  The trio has gained weight appropriately, continues to meet developmental milestones, is eating foods - all the things the pediatrician looks for.  I feel very confident when hours go by with no tears and I get to see smiles, hear coos and play.  Then something hits you like a ton of bricks.

This week we realized our time with swings, rock n plays and our now family bed was running out - they are getting so big!  We decided it was time to transition to the crib for bedtime.  Let me say, these last nights of sleep have left me red eyed and irritable! 

They're overtired, fussy, getting teeth and I feel overwhelmed and defeated.  

Should I give them "tough love" and let them work it out?  Should I rub their backs and help sooth them?  Should we separate their cribs into different rooms?  Are they not ready?!  Should we let them stay in the swings and in our bed until they are absolutely too big?  So many questions and I don't know what the "right answer" is or if there is a different answer for each baby.  

For now I'm going to enjoy my large McDonalds coke and hope that tonight is better - I'm going to stay strong and hope that their behavior will answer my questions.  Even though 4 nights has seemed like an eternity I am going to continue operation crib and check back next Friday!  

Avocados & Nanas

Andy & I watched the signs for a few weeks before we took the plunge -- we were warned once you start you can never go back but here we are ... eating REAL FOOD!  In February we started practicing with spoons - Owen and Mackenzie were already eating rice, mixed into their formula, so we started having taste parties to see how they felt about the rice on a spoon.  Turns out they were fascinated and continued to show signs of wanting more: opening their mouth for another spoonful, screaming for more, eating less from their bottles.  Along with these obvious signs they also stopped sleeping through the night, a good indicator of a growth spurt and their desire for a change!  

We started with rice cereal then added bananas.  This week we tried avocados - very messy but they couldn't get enough! This week we also had banana puree, tried holding and tasting whole bananas and having bananas in food nets.    

Making our own food has proven very simple - fast, cheap and free of preservatives!  I use the Baby Bullet - I love it!   

*Bananas: 2 bananas, 1/4c water, 10 sec.

*Avocados: 1 avocado, 1/4c water, 10 sec.

For now we're eating 1x/day for sure and sometimes 2x/day, depending on time and who can help!!  

Coming Soon: Yellow Squash! :)

Auntie Hillary feeding us Avocados! 

xo, Bridget

The 3 C's ~ Week 2

I found a ton of new things I wanted to try this week.  

Along with the 3 C's I also started a new book which so far I am in love with (details to follow, another day).  

Cleaning: When I came across the April Cleaning Challenge I thought it would be an easy way to stay on top of our household chores.  I'll admit I am not following this perfectly - the glory of the checklist (print and hang on fridge) is that it doesn't have to be done in order.  Along with this checklist I am also making my own cleaning supplies - check next week to see how those work ... I'm skeptical but open to try it.  

link: http://moneysavingmom.com/2013/03/join-us-for-the-30-day-house-cleaning-challenge-in-april.html

Cooking: I was searching for alternatives to frozen french fries, raw veggies and salad.  I came across this link and thought it sounded easy and healthy ... IT STINKS.  Something about it is wrong - it needs a drizzle of olive oil or something to soften up the veggies.

link: http://pinterest.com/pin/475059460663576856/

Crafting: Who doesn't know somebody having a rough day?  Right now I know more than a few people who need some sunshine sent their way.  There are SO many different ways you could do this - box, gift bag, water bottle, coffee mug and endless things you could put inside.  Check out the link for more ideas.  I put sunscreen, lemonade, kleenex in a yellow package, juicy fruit, chapstick and a yellow air freshener. 

link (you can print the sunshine cards right from the link!): http://happymoneysaver.com/send-a-box-of-sunshine-to-brighten-someones-day/

A Day in Our Life

"How do you do it?"

Well ... you just do.  There isn't another option.  

I feel a major part of my sanity is that I am organized - everything is planned well in advanced, all our activities (eating, bathroom, temperatures, etc) are documented and our routine is followed.  So here is a little sample of 

"how we do it." 

7:00 - Wake up & Eat (this is getting later each day and now is closer to 8/8:30)

7:30 - Independent Play Time - playing on different mats, focusing on fine motor skills

8:00 - Play Time with Mommy - we focus on communication, holding/ shaking/ transferring toys, tummy time

8:30-10 - Morning Nap!  Mom does dishes, puts in laundry, makes formula and cereal, picks up & eats breakfast

10 - Wake up & Eat - have vitamin, eat cereal then have tummy time while mommy reads a book, listen to music, play with tummy toys

11 - Play Time with Mommy - baby sign language, practice rolling over, scooting 

12  - Light Nap in Swing.  Mom changes laundry, folds laundry, washes more dishes, picks up baby toys, puts dinner in crock pop or preps food to cook later, eats lunch 

1 - Wake up & Eat.  Eat bananas - yummy!

1:30 - Rotations - 1:1 time with mom, Johnny Jumper, Piano Mat, tummy time

3  - Light Nap in Swing.  Mom takes a shower and changes laundry, again!

4  - Wake up & Eat  

4-7 - Play time with Daddy!  Daddy reads, does baby sign language, sings ...  Finish laundry, finish cleaning, finish dinner

7  - Eat 

7:30 - Quiet Time, tummy time

8:30 - Bath Time

9 - Eat then GO TO BED!  Mommy and Daddy do dishes, make bottles for the next day and emergency night feeds, clean and then watch TV

*These "light naps" have really ceased even though I continue to fantasize about their existence.  In place of them, when one naps or none nap we do tummy time, listen to Disney Pandora, sit in our recliners in the kitchen and watch mom cook, etc.  

*I try to follow this schedule; however, in times of melt down or just laziness the laundry is the first thing to be ignored - something to work on so we don't end up with 6+ baskets of folded laundry just sitting in the hallway!

*I have help (my mom, my grandma, my aunts) that come 1x/day to help - this allows me to get more things done especially when "nap time" does not happen!