My .02 on Cloth Diapering

Here are some thoughts on cloth diapering.  Read it over and feel free to ask more questions!  Once you get started its not so hard but figuring out where to start can be a big leap!

Glossary

• Prefold - rectangle diaper with lots of layers, available in infant, toddler, standard types of sizing.  A basic diaper
• Cover - waterproof material to go over a prefold, or other absorbent diaper
• Pocket diaper - diaper with a pocket in it - usually has a waterproof outside, and wicking inside to keep baby's bottom dry.  Microfiber, prefold diapers, hemp, bamboo towels or inserts can go into the pocket depending on baby's absorbancy needs.
• Chloe Toes - a style of pocket diaper - a mom made this pattern
  
• Flip - inexpensive commercial diaper system/brand
• GroVia - commercial diaper brand
• AIO - the entire diaper is the diaper
• AI2 - The diaper does not usually have a pocket but has a "tail" of absorbent layers
• PUL - a fabric that is waterproof - knits are more waterproof than cottons but cottons are often cuter
• Snap - diapers that snap on
• H&L - diapers Velcro (Hook and Loop) to stay on child. 
• CDMF - my favorite fabric for an inner wicking layer against baby (Cuddle Dry Micro Fleece)
• Suedecloth - from Joann's or Hancock also works as a wicking layer
• Wool - some families like wool for the outer layer.  I have not had enough experience with wool to have an opinion, but have heard great things about it.  If you can crochet/knit there are some awesome cover patterns for wool longies/shorties (long or short pants/covers)
  

We started cloth diapers with Brendan.  We started with infant size prefolds and covers.  I never used pins or snappi's with infants - just lay the prefold into the cover, and put onto baby.  The covers can be re-used a few times unless they get soiled.  Then I got a few pocket diapers, because they were "daddy friendly".  I eventually transitioned to all pocket diapers. Prefolds are a very economical way to cloth diaper and can be folded many ways depending on the gender and size of the baby.

 I made medium and large Chloe Toes diapers - not sure if that pattern is still available or not?  I stuffed the pocket diapers with blue microfiber towels from Sam's Club.  At night I added a layer of hemp to the microfiber and had 3 FuziBunz sized diapers (medium). Having only 3 night time diapers forced me to wash diapers every 3 days...which is a good thing for me.  Some people can have a HUGE stash and still wash regularly - for me if I have a diaper I won't wash, so that works here.

With Lauren I also started with prefolds and covers, as well.  I also made her some snap on Chloe Toes, and purchased some microfiber inserts that I use to stuff the pockets.  I also have a Flip Cover and a couple Grovia.  I have 2 Grovia AIO - aka they have the absorbent layer sewn into the diaper.    I am not real happy with how these diaper are holding up, they are still absorbent but show use on the inside of the legs.  I also have some Grovia Shells and inserts that I do like. Recently I purchased some one-size diapers from Alva - they are an inexpensive way to build a pocket diaper stash.  Currently I am using the Alva pockets, and Flip covers and Grovia Shells with inserts laid in for day time use.  At night time I use a layer of hemp, layer of bamboo and microfiber insert.

I use cloth wipes at home and disposable when we are out.  If I use disposable I just wrap them into the diaper and place in my wet bag.  I dump it all into the diaper pail and wash.  Disposable wipes in the washer are great for cleaning out "leftovers" after the diapers have been washed.  My diaper pail is a tall trash can with a lid, I have a PUL bag that I made to line the trash can and it gets washed every-time I do diapers. My wipes are 2 sided - one is flannel the other is some textured fabric (don't know the name) that I picked up on clearance.  I have some that are stitched and turned and some that I just stitched - both are functional.  Right know I have 3 wet bags, 2 of which get LOTS of use the 3rd one I grab when the others are dirty.  I use water for my wipes - keep it in a squirt bottle on the changing table and wet the wipes as needed.  (The peri bottle from the hospital is great for this use *wink*)

I wash my diapers in Charlie's detergent in a top loading washer.  There are adjustments that can be made for each style of washer and type of water, so it may take a bit to get the washing figured out.  In the warm months I like to dry on a drying rack on my deck.  The sun is awesome for getting out stains.  (I can't wait to get the diapers out in the sunshine!!!)  You can also air dry them inside, and this is recommend for many covers.  I am lazy.  I dry everything in the dryer on HOT.  I do a pre rinse, wash with soap on hot water and have a 2nd cold rinse.  Sometimes I add a squirt of blue (not concentrated) dawn dish detergent and/or vinegar to the rinse cycle.  The dawn helps with build ups and is often used in "stripping" diapers if they are not being absorbent...mostly an issue with babies once they have started on solid foods.

How to dress a cloth diapered baby....Why is this a conecern?  Because many clothing brands are designed to go over trim disposable diapers...not cute fluffy bottoms.  :)   I like knit pants best.  Jeans fit,  It just depends on your child.  Yoga pants are GREAT because the wide waist band is helpful in keeping everything covered.  I often go up a size in regular clothing to fit the CD bottom.  We live in footie jamies year round for CD baby, and I usually put on a new pair ever night, vs ever few nights with disposable, because of the stink issue.  See below for a pants link ;)


Links you may find useful:
http://www.fishsticksdesigns.com/GreenBeginningsClothDiaper.html - I was a tester for this diaper pattern.  If you have someone that can sew this is a fun way to build a diaper stash.
http://www.diapersewingsupplies.com/ - Where to buy PUL in solids and prints and other supplies if you choose to make some custom diapers/covers, etc.
http://www.nickisdiapers.com/view_category.asp?cat=270&gclid=cog-ivgfibycfshgmgodzcoata - I purchased my initial prefolds and covers from this company.  I like the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap covers.
http://www.birthbabyandbeyond.org/ - My local cloth diaper store.  See if you have one in your area.  Local stores a great way to figure out about local washer issues, meet with others who use cloth diaper or other healthy/natural living types of events!  We do a music class with Lauren at my local store and she loves it.
http://www.amazon.com/Crescent-Moon-Yoga-Pants-Pattern/dp/B001GN7NSM/ref=sr_1_3?m=A2H6DPZGH48AUA&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1363708047&sr=1-3 Yoga pants pattern designed for a cloth diapered child

Closing thoughts -

There are a LOT of options out there for cloth diapering. SO MANY, MANY more then when I started with Brendan in 2006.  If I were to start from scratch today I would look for a snapping pocket diaper and insert, probably one size if I were starting with a non-newborn, and go from there.  Buy a few different styles see which one fits your baby and family best, then find a sale (hopefully) and stock up on that brand/brands and go from there.  I am not up to date on all the latest styles and brands.  What I have works for me, mostly.

Have fun!

CSA

Just sent this note to a friend...

Have you ever heard of a CSA - Community Supported Agriculture?  I heard of it 6-7 years ago when I was still working.  I thought it sounded like a really cool thing but I could not find one at that time.  A CSA is a share that you purchase from a farm at the beginning of the season for the upcoming growing season.  If the farm is successful you get a bounty of veggies, if the farm is less successful you take the risk of having less veggies.

One afternoon in the fall of 2007 I happened upon a booth at the Noleridge Farmers Market and there was a sign up asking for email address of interested persons, so I signed up.  I knew very little about the farm at that time, but I liked the look of their stand.  They had a "signature look"  and it was nice.  Well it turned out that that booth was for Grinnell heritage Farm from Grinnell.  We have had a CSA share ever since.  When we first started I was looking for food that was local, organic was not a selling point for me then, I wanted to support local food.  Well I have been pleasantly surprised - surprised at what can be grown in Iowa and how well my family likes to eat their veggies.

I know your family is looking toward more mindful eating so I've been thinking of you.  Tonight attached to our weekly newsletter was the flyer for next year's share.  I wanted to share it with you, because it might be something you are interested in...if not add it to your knowledge of local food resources.

The farm we purchase our CSA from is Grinnell Heritage Farm is located in Grinnell.  We have visited the farm a couple of times.  Last fall my boys had a blast digging and eating carrots straight from the field.  The carrots from GHF are a treat! We pick up our share at Prariewoods in Hiawatha on Wednesday afternoons. If you want to see a hard copy let me know.  Registration can be done online or via the mail. There is a discount if you sign up before Feb 1st of next year.

My boys will be excited to have edemame and carrots from this weeks veggie box.  I am looking forward.to sweet potatoes and dragon tongue beans.  Now to figure out what how collard greens are supposed to be prepared...each year I challenge myself to adopt recipes for one more of the items in the box.  I have figured out what to do with zucchini and kale, but collard greens still stump me.  Have you ever made sweet potato curry?  There is a recipe in this weeks newsletter that I tasted last fall out at a potluck on the GHF farm, it is yummy!

See you soon
Karla

Food Preservation 2011 August

Wow Time sure is flying!!

My garden is doing well.  It was planted Memorial Day weekend and so far we have enjoyed kohlrabi, peppers and peas.  The boys have discovered the joy of garden fresh peas and green beans.  My experiment this year is edamame (green soybeans). I purchased 1 package and was intending to only plant 1/2 of the package, until the entire package was dumped into the garden as we were planting....so we have LOTS of plants.  Japanese/Asian Beatles like edamame leaves, and basil.  Thankfully they have moved on and both plants have survived. The soybeans are full of pods - I think there will be a bunch going into the freezer at the end of the month.

Whats in the freezer? So far I have put 6-7 half-pints of pizza sauce using Mrs. Wages pizza sauce mix into half pint jars into the freezer.  Dried 2 bunches of celery in the dehydrator - that dried down to a quart jar of leaves and a half pint jar of stems ( the celery is from my CSA Share so its different than what comes from the grocery store.  I have 1 more bunch I need to dehydrate tomorrow.

Tonight I froze 2 lbs of greenbeans, also from our CSA.  I followed the directions from http://www.greenbeansnmore.com/frozen-green-beans.html.  After the beans were blanched and in the ice water bath I used my salad spinner to remove excess water and divided the beans into 2 bags. The beans were left whole.  Wonder if I can get another bag from the garden - if the kids have not eaten them all, if so oh, well, right?  I will use at least some of these beans to make green bean puree/baby food in a few months.

I have also frozen a bit of roasted corn.  I would like to try dehydrating corn, really need to get on that this weekend before the corn is off the market stands.

RANDOM TIDBITS
Life with three kids is busy...but the summer was great!  Now the day care kids are back, hopefully once preschool starts I will find my balance again because currently it is missing. My oldest is in third grade and off to a great start!

Cloth diapers are in full use...not to find time to sew up some more girlly ones with snaps so I can quit using the hook and loop ones I keep pulling out of the bag - pocket diapers are so much easier to use day to day than prefolds.  Prefolds are a great way to get started and work well for infants but then I discovered pocket diapers... and now i'm ready to switch to them full time, again.

Welcome Baby

The last month has been a busy month at our house.  We welcomed a baby girl on May 9th - its hard to believe that she is a month already!!!  The addition of our little one had an impact on our grocery shopping and cooking - I was not doing much.  We were blessed to receive meals from friends, co-workers and my life group at church.  I have appreciated these meals more than with the previous births of my children - I think that is because we are so much busier than when we just had one child in the house.  So Thank you for the wonderful meals - and thanks for not bringing all pasta!!!

What meals have we received?

• Chicken Casserole, Salad, dessert
• Lasanga, Salad, Bread (the lasagna is in the freezer because we received 2 meals that night)
• Taco Casserole with tomatoes, taco sauce and shredded lettuce
• Pasta with a chicken alfredo sauce, salad, rolls, cookies
• Brats and hotdogs with buns, baked beans, potato salad, brownies
• Tacos - hard and soft shell tacos, taco seasoned ground beef, diced tomato, diced onion, cheese, sour cream
• Lasanga, salad with italian dressing, homemade bread with garlic butter
• A "Dad Meal"   - Mom was out of town but he wanted to bring us a meal - Takeout spaghetti, garlic bread, and a gondola sandwich, beverages for the boys and dad, bagged salad and chocolate Popsicle.

How are we handeling the transition to a family of five?

I am enjoying the break from doing child care and the ability to do things with just my children.  We are getting better at going places, but I do add and extra 5 minutes to get out the door.  I am working hard to not let the loss of income hit our pocketbook.  For several months I have put a little bit aside so that during my break I would have cash available. So far we have not changed much in our eating out habits - which eats up most of my cash.

We are using cloth diapers again with our little one.  It is amazing the difference between cloth diapers on a baby boy and a baby girl. I think I figured it out quicker with a boy than I have with a girl.  We are doing well with daytime diapers but she is a nighttime wetter - so I'm still trying to figure out nighttime diapers.  Two nights ago I changed her before her middle of the night feeding, in the dark.  When it she awoke a few hours later she was WET from head to toe, along with her pajamas and bedding. Where was the diaper?  Around her ankles.  She is a wiggler and kicked off her blanket and the diaper slid off too.  Back to the drawing board!

Currently my boys are playing with Trio Blocks.  (We were out and weeded the garden and planted some seeds - more about that in my post at my gardening blog - had to go outside before it got hot!  Today will be cooler at 90, but storms are predicted for this evening.  I"m looking forward to the 70's that are predicted for the next few days!)  I love Trio blocks,  I'm sure I've posted about that before. The offer SO much in the way of creativity and my boys BOTH enjoy playing with them.  Like most toys the come in "sets"  - you know, barn, castle, construction site, but once the initial set is built they have all ended up transitioning to some other creation, and that is okay with me.  It allows creativity to shine!

Menu Plan 4/10

Here is the menu plan for this week.  Its one of those busy weeks with to many activites at mealtime for the kids - so I must be creative.

• Friday - delivery pizza

• Saturday - Lunch: leftover pizza
• Saturday Supper - Steak Sandwiches ( leftover steak), buns, tatertots, spinach salad

• Sunday Lunch - out
• Sunday Supper - DH cooked ;)  Paella  - we have enough leftover for lunches this week, and supper to, lol

• Monday - ground beef - maybe slopy joes

• Tuesday - Turkey, salad, sweet potatoes

• Wednesday - Church night but I don't think we will make it to the Soup Supper in time, so I'm not sure - PB&J picnic, maybe

• Thursday - ?? Concert night and grandparents are here, hope I have inspiration by then.

What's on your plan this week?

No TV Day #6

On Friday morning I turned on the television, well attempted, I should say. I knew something was up when it was taking awhile to "warm up"...a few seconds later I heard a POP!  The bulb in the TV blew.  We had this issue with our older version of the same television. So no TV in the living room, not to big of a deal....we can watch the other one right?  Nope, it broke when we were attempting to add the adapter box to allow our ancient (10 years old) analog television to be connected to cable's digital only signal.  So that means we have gone six days with no functioning television in the house.  I really have not missed it.  However, I know others in the house have and will be glad to have the television fixed.

What have I learned in the meantime?

• It did not take the kids long to adjust to no TV.  It just is, and they accept it, and I get to see a more creative side of them - Legos, Trio Blocks and Trains have had a workout.
• Its amazing how quiet the house is after the kids go to bed without the television on.
• Thank goodness for laptops and smartphones.
• Garth Brooks still gets a lot of play on the country station - and they are songs I know from 10-15 years ago when I listened to a lot of country
• Books - they do the brain good!
• Eaglets hatching can be as entertaining as Curious George or Handy Manny!

We have also been enjoying the warmer, dare I say springlike weather of the last few days.  I just placed my first order with Johnny's Selected Seeds and now I really can not wait to get in the garden.  Now the debate begins - where to put things in the garden and will I get the garden in before the little one arrives? I should go dig up the garden and plant some spinach and salad greens, yum!

April 1 Meal Plan

Here is the basic menu plan for the next week or so...

• Friday - pizza, out (was going to be delivery but Out worked too!)
• Saturday Lunch - Out
• Saturday Supper - Chicken Stir Fry with rice - quick and easy and lots of veggies, and leftovers for lunch on Monday
• Sunday Lunch - Cheddarwurst, buns, chips, mand. oranges, and pickles, lol
• Sunday Supper - Lasagna and spinach salad - garlic bread (or cheese bread) was not served but requested.
• Monday - chicken that was thawed out will become somthing yummy!
• Tuesday - Lasanga with salad and garlic bread (any left will be frozen)
• Wednesday - Flank Steak
• Thursday - Cheese Steak sandwiches, quesadillas or something with leftover steak.
• Friday - Pizza :)

Original meal plan had chicken patties on thin buns (we call them flat bread, I can't think of the name right know.) but they will keep in the freezer until next week when we need a quick, no-brainer meal before an evening activity.  Still need to figure out what to do with mushrooms as I have 1.5 packages in the fridge that I forgot to throw into the lasagna.

No Fooling

So today is April Fools Day...I sat down and decided to turn on the TV early this morning...something was not quite right and as I was waiting for the TV to "warm up"  - not normal for this TV - I started thinking, "I wonder what's wrong."  Well I found out about 30 seconds later...the bulb blew on the TV.

Our old TV is also out of order thanks to Mediacom's upgrade to all digital TV.  When we were tryting to remove the coax cable to install the little converter box on our analog television something broke, so it can not recieve any input - antena, cable or dvd player.  UHG!

So today is going to be about spring cleaning, playing games and spending the day with NO working TV's in the house. 

PS. For the Record I don't like April Fools Spoofs or whatever thy are calling them this year...

Menu Planning again part 2

My friend is just getting back into the kitchen and  had many questions...here are some of my answers.


Q. Where do I start?  I have a few things that I can cook but I would really like to better use my financial resources.

A.  Baby steps will get you there.  Make it a goal to try 1 new thing/recipes a week...or every 2 weeks...if your family likes it put it in the keeper file (3 ring binder w/ page protectors) or make note on a piece of paper.  If they don't make a note of it and why - didn't taste good, took to long, Ian did not like it but the kids ate it up = future lunch ideas, lol.

Q. What is a coupon match up.  Is it matching up a coupon and a store ad.  How do you use store ads?

A. Yes a coupon "match-up" is matching an item that is on sale with coupons for that same item.  I have used coupons on and off - currently I'm on with them.  By making  a list of whats on sale, that your family eats or uses, will help with your spending.  There is no sense in buying spaghetti sauce on sale if no one likes it (unless you know that you need to make a donation to the food pantry soon, kwim?)  But if Stove Top is on sale and your family eats that a lot then buy it and see how creative you can be with it. (Hope that makes sense?)

I love the MOPS cookbook because its full of family friendly mom-tested recipes Last night I wanted to make meatloaf but did not have the ingredients in the house to make the recipe I normally (Its in the MOPS cookbook) so I pulled it out looking for a new variation using ingredients I already had in the house...everyone ate it up.  I have lots of cookbooks and the MOPS one is one of my top 3 go to books.  My other favorite is a Betty Crocker with the red checked cover...it has lots of b-a-s-i-c how-to's because there are times when we all need that from time to time!

(NOTE the MOPS cookbook I refer to was published by our local MOPS group. Its my favorite because it is full of tried and true family favorite recipies.)

Speaking of meatloaf did you know the same meat mix makes good meatballs?  (I just learned that in the last year when I got tired of buying store-bought ones with all the extra stuff, that my kids love...now I just make homemade meatballs and put BBQ sauce on them.  (I know its got bad stuff in it too, but its one of the few things that we eat and I try to change it up so we don't eat BBQ sauce all the time...even though my family would love to!)

Q. Roasted cauuliflower what is that?

A. Oh and as for roasted cauliflower I found that recipe about a year ago...My husband did not like cauliflower until I started fixing it this way.  Now we eat an entire head at 1 meal!!!!!  You can reduce the rosemary and garlic if its not in your diet or you don't have that much in the house.  http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-cauliflower-16-roasted-cloves-of-garlic-106251

Menu Planning again.

Must be an April thing...I'm trying to get back to menu planning.  Since the beginning of March I have been foccusing on couponing and other ways to save money on my family's food budget.

A friend recently asked for some suggestions about how to start planning meals.  Below is part of my reply to help her get started.



Here is my thought process that goes into planning meals. You will develop your "rules" as you go...so don't stress about them.  For me just knowing what meat we are having is a huge help as is recording what you ate, it  makes repeats happen less often and helps plan the next round of meals.


I have been doing a cash envelop for food for the month of March and using coupons more.  It does make a difference.  I am best to stay out of Hy Vee and shop at Fareway with a HyVee Ad match....I stick to the deals better and don't buy the "extras" like I do at HyVee.  (I don't know why but I get annoyed with HyVee because of that. I spend at least $20 more when I go there.)


I also shop at Sams and Target.  I saved over $10 with coupons and my Target card there last week!  Now if printer ink was not so expensive! We don't get the Sunday Paper, so I've been printing out internet coupons.  I am trying printing the non store coupons from Swagbucks and curious to see if I get the points via using coupons from there...it will be a few weeks before I know if it works or not. (I hope it does so I can use Amazon cards to get the stroller we picked out :) )


Do you follow Penny Pinching Mom on Facebook?  She is my new favorite coupon/money saving Mom blogger...because she is "local", well Midwest anyway. ;)  She has Hy Vee coupon match ups and Target coupon match ups that I really appreciate.  I have searched for years for a  HyVee matchup. She also has a link on her blog to a gal that does Fareway matchups and deals and that helps too.

Good luck!  If you come across any cool or helpful resources please share! 
Karla


 - - - - - - - - - - -

How I plan meals
- Ask family members what they are hungry for...sometimes it really helps, sometimes I don't get any ideas but this is where I start.


My "rules"

- I need leftovers Sunday-Wednesday nights for DH lunch the next day. 
- Thursday night is good for fish/other single serving foods or those that don't work well in DH lunch
- What's in the fridge..this is a REAL challenge in the late spring-summer-fall when we HAVE to keep eating up what we get from our @Grinnell Heritage farm's CSA box before the next one comes.  I welcome this challenge! (Its less of a challenge in winter when I have to go to the store for produce and only buy a couple of things because nothing looks/tastes as good as the fresh summertime produce.) And yes in season we eat salad 2-3 times a week, and the boys do to.

-What nights do I need crock pot/leave in the oven meals...ie beef roast, hamburger casserole

-What nights do I need cook it QUICK or throw it in the over so I can prep it when I get home meals...ie taco salad, sloppy joes, chicken pattys (one of the few processed foods I serve on a semi-regular basis)
-How can I prep ahead?  EX Grilled chicken on Sunday night and Chicken salad on Tuesday using the extra grilled chicken...



-Keep in mind likes and dislikes...you will notice that there is not much pasta as a main dish - Jay does not like it that well, so lasagna is a once a month or two food, but pasta is often a side dish.


Pizza, every Friday?  Really?  Yes...think of all the options

-homemade  - crust from scratch
-homemade  - store bought crust
-homemade - alt crust (tortilla, hot dog bun, English muffin) (Good kid friendly lunch w/ leftover pizza toppings.)

-take -n- bake
-delivery
-dine out
-frozen (lol)


That is all food for thought. 

Here is what I do...we have a protein at every meal, if you do meatless nights include those ( I would love to but that is not fully supported here)
 1. List a protein/ for each night of the week (beef, pork, ham, fish (salmon, tuna, mahi mahi,etc), chicken, turkey, sausage, beans and rice, etc.

2. Looking at the calendar what nights do you need quick/crock pot meals - do those first
3. What is in the fridge that needs to be used up next?
4. What did your family members request - make those a priority?
5. What's left?  (pork is usually my sticking point...love to eat it but can not cook it well unless I'm grilling pork chops or making ground pork) This is also when I get out my MOPS cookbook or the most recent cooking mag to look for ideas for "something new and different." 


**Sometimes I don't plan  the full meal, just the main dish, until the day of the meal. It helps to get out frozen meat to thaw in time. (This is another time the MOPS cookbook comes out - or I search online for ideas...) START HERE!



**Record what you DID serve and use it as a reference the next time you are planing meals...or to remember on Monday night that you just had peas and tater tots as side dishes on Friday night so maybe you want something different tonight to keep from getting bored... AND HERE



Here is a sample menu. What is after the = is what we actually had to eat...



Example Menu

Friday - pizza = delivery

Saturday - beef =  steak, grilled potatoes, salad



Sunday - pork/ham =  bean soup
Monday - beef = pot roast (beef roast, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, etc.)

Tuesday  - pork = ground pork, salad, couscous

Wed - chicken = chicken stir fry with rice

Thurs =- -salmon = salmon, sweet potato, salad

Friday - pizza = homemade

Sat - Lunch  =leftover pizza  - Supper = go Out
Sun Lunch =  out Supper  = Turkey, baked potato, Carrots



Monday pork = pork chops, flavored rice, green beans

Tuesday- beef  = taco salad

Wed -  pork = ham steak, Italian noodles, peas

Thurs -chicken = chicken patty, bun, tater tots, carrot sticks (one of *those* nights)
Friday - pizza = Go Out

Sat - Lunch out Supper - sloppy joes (pork, turkey, beef, etc), buns, chips, salad

Sun Lunch Leftovers S - BBQ chicken, stove top, roasted cauliflower

Back to this blog for a bit

Its been awhile since I have updated this blog.  I"m in a re-thinking phase so maybe its time to come back and refocus here.

My oldest son is on summer break and what has he re-discovered - Legos@  He spends hours a day playing with them...and I don't mind a bit!  His younger brother has also shown an interest in Legos.  That is so cool, but it means we dont have enough Legos. Now the challange becomes finding a good deal on Legos at a garage sale.

I have one more item on my garage sale list.  I've been told to search E-bay for the item, also.  What is this mystery item you ask?   A lid for my crockpot.  Mine is plastic and has had a crack forever...it finally broke off....I discovered this after the crock pot was full and I didn't have time to cook the meal before work. I used a lid from a pot and a piece of tin foil.  It did the job.

I was playing with the template choices that are available on the blogs right know - my how they have changed since I started this blog.   I decided to go with a picture - I wanted something that goes with the theme of the blog, and blocks do that 100%, but I did not want a picture that was hard to read through.  That's one of my personal web site and blog pet peeves - having a background that is TO busy to focus on the text. We'll give this one a try and go from there.

Last week I came across the website for Titus 2 at the Well

They are starting a new Bible study that I am going to follow.  That is the inspiration for today's post.  The need to have a blog to connect to the study.

Menu Planning Part 1

What are your "Meal Planning Rules"?

Rules? What do you mean by "rules?' Well maybe not rules but guidelines.

Here are some of my rules:

What nights do I need to use the crock pot or have a REALLY REALLY quick supper?
I work 1 evening a week during the supper hour. I prefer to have supper ready when I leave for work so my family can eat when they get home (which is before I get home). This is a good night for the crock pot or casserole dishes.

What meals do I need to have leftovers for lunch?
My husband eats leftovers every day for lunch, except Friday when he usually eats out with people from work. So I need meals that have something for him to eat Sunday through Wednesday evenings. Thursday is when I plan meals, such as fish, that do not lend themselves to be good leftover.

How can I plan meals so we eat out less?
I plan no more than 2 meals per weekend eating out. If we have delivery pizza for supper that counts as 1 meal eating out for the weekend. (We have pizza night almost every Friday night.)

I also plan at least 1 lunch for the weekend so that we have a plan for that meal before its mealtime. This has made a HUGE difference with eating out on weekends. I often have a "plan B" for weekend meals, too.

Coming next time...Ways to help with meal planning.

In a funk...

I'm in a funk. This weather transition to winter I am not doing well with. My online groups are hitting a wrong spot. Did not get to attend MOPS group and the newsletter of the day was not uplifting whatsoever. Have not had much time to talk with my husband - between my work and his increased hours we have not eaten supper together this week. Hopefully tonight. I'm just feeling concerned and alone.

The Day After

I woke up this morning to the news that Barrack Obama will become the new President of the United States in January. I pray for protection for his family during this time. I am concerned for the safety of him, his wife and children, and our country more now than I have been in the last few years.

One benefit I see of Obama winning the position of President - it opens the door for women. How? black men recieved the right to vote before ALL women. Therefore it has been my belief for several years that our country will elecct a black male to the White House before we elect a woman to any position in the White House. Now that we have crossed that bridge maybe in my lifetieme I will see a woman in the White House?

That is my $.02 about the 2008 election.

Dragon Cave

So a message board I post on has discoered this Dragon Cave thing. You adopt baby dragon eggs and care for them till they hatch. Not sure what happens then, maybe they grow up and make new baby dragon eggs to hatch??

So help me out and click here: My Page or here -

How I made a cloak...

Using a piece of string/rope as a compass. Center point is pinned end of rope is loose. White soap used for marking cutting line.



Cutting line for neck. I was not sure if this was to go in the center of the circle or the circle was to radiate out from it. I made the edges radiate from the edge points. The finished cloak is longer in front than back because I did it this way.


Sewing the hood pieces. Note that I used pinking sheers to cut all edges.
The hood piece and cape neck were about 5" different in size. I zig-zaged with a very wide stich over a piece of dental floss (white line in photo below) on the longer piece. Then I pulled on the floss until the pieces were the same length, and pinned before sewing. After finishing I removed the floss and zig-zag basting.
I used a frog clasp, handsewn on , to close the cloak.

Need to get a better finished product photo. This one needs to be turned. Finished cloak.
I still need to wash off the soap lines. Most faded as I worked with the cloak. Big Bird got a HUGE smile on his face when I showed it to him last night....but he was afraid to wear it for long because there were 2 pins holdig on the frog closure, as I ran out of time at nap time to sew on both sides.

Luke Skywalker Episode VI Cloak

Big Bird, my oldest son, decided that he wanted to be Luke Skywalker from Episode VI. He has been talking about what he wants for a few weeks now. Saturday afternoon he described in detail what Luke from Episode VI looks like. I finally got it - and had an idea for what to Google. I found a few ideas for what he wanted...Hey I can do this! We were looking at purchased costumes for another character and modifying to be Luke. All of the Star Wars costumes for purchase this year are from the Clone Wars...and that is just not what we wanted.

Here are the basic directions that I used. .

Cloak Instructions

So what does one need to make Luke Skywalker from Ep.VI? From what I have read/and been told by 5 year old Big Bird these are the essentials.

• Black long sleeve shirt - looking for a mock t-shrt because turtle necks are to small for his BIG head.
  
• Black pants - church pants are black
  
• Black 1 1/2 inch belt - need it
  
• Black boots - need them
  
• Light Saber with a green blade - got it!
• Black Glove - I'm sure we have one lonely black glove around here somewhere!
  
• Black Cape - see below for more info
  

I found the directions for a fleece cape that looked fairly easy. I did not feel the need to have the details be exact like some costume makers - this is a Halloween costume!

Sunday I went to JoAnns and started to search for black fabric. I did not want fleece or flannel - they were suggested fabrics. I was also not in favor of wool because of the itch factor. I started looking at a bottomweight fabric - but I was not 100% sure about it. Then I found some suit fabric - I liked this fabric better because it had a better drape than the bottomweight. So I took it to the cutting table and hoped there would be enough fabric...it was 58" so 3 yards would be enough. Guess what? There was EXACTLY 3 yards, whew.

Now comes the hard part...washing the fabric and finding time to sew.

So today during naptime I decided to make the cape, and not do tomatoes...like I should have done. Was I shocked that in 1 nap time I was able to CUT, SEW and TRIM!

I will put together a tutorial as soon as I have some time to get some pics off the camera.

September 29

Wow Has it really been 6 months since I have posted? Time goes fast! I have been thinking about a meal planning thread - any interest?

I just added a new favorites Gadget - that I am SO excited about. Not so much for my blog right know, but I am excited about it because now I can follow some other cool blogs a lot easier!

Today is my first day as a "full time" in home child care provider. My almost 2 yo is being very silly.

Ideas for visiting a friend without toys

We are going to visit a single friend this weekend for the first time. He is a recent college graduate and has only been living in his own apartment for 2 months. He is very excited about our visit, but has shared the concern that he "has no toys."

So here are some ideas for visiting houses that do not routinely have children in them.

• Childproofing...
• Duct tape works wonders - it can cover outlets, and tape things shut
• Rubber bands (or a shoe string) will tie a media cabinet or kitchen cabinet closed
• I have no problem with asking a host or moving an item if I feal it is not safe for my children. The first items that come to mind are - scissors, keys, glass breakables and kitchen knives.
  
  
• Things to do when visiting....
  
• We went to a local thrift store and purchased a bag of toys - they are a stacking toy for toddlers kind of like Duplos, but not. Project 1, of course, was to wash and sanatize the toys. The will go with us on our visit, and be part of the housewarming gift. Then our friend will have something to do the next time we visit, and when other youngsters come over.
• Plastic containers can be great toys - they stack, dump, pour, lids need to be matched. Children can stir or pretend to bake a cake - and a quick trip through the dishwasher is all it takes to clean them up for regular food storage.
• Books - we went through our book collection to find about 6-8 books of which we have duplicate titles and topics...these to will stay at our friends house
• We are taking some Matchbox cars - these will come home with us - but they will provide hours of fun exploration
• We are taking a couple of favorite DVD's
• I have packed a shape sorter - this is from the toys the boys have not seen in a while closet.
• Hopefully the weather will permit play outside or visiting a nearby park.

I'm sure we will come up with a few more ideas on our trip - I'll let you know if there are some fun ones next week!

Where to keep the kid's art supplies

I am searching again for the best place to keep the kids art supplies...you know the pencils, scissors, glue, crayons, watercolor paint, finger paint, coloring books, plain paper...all that stuff that kids need to have access to at home. I tried having them in the dining room - but that did not work because they were to low and we had a baby in the house at the same level. I have one of those cube shelves from Target...that worked for awhile, the only problem was whatever we wanted was always at the bottom of the basket. So my latest try is a shelf in the hall closet. It is not located as close to the table as I would prefer, but I think it will work because things will be easier to access. To be exact it is the 2nd shelf in the cabinet, the 1st won't work because my 1yo likes to get things out and when the cabinet is open to say get out the vacuum he can reach the 1st shelf. We will give this a try. Maybe someday I can find a better storage piece for the corner of the dining room and then the "homework" station will return to its rightful place - near the family table.

Now the next challenge - were to put the stuff that was on the self that was vacated in the closet????