Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables

If your kids are like mine, getting vegetables into their little stomachs can turn mealtime into a frustrating time.  I have found that if I hide the veggies, they kids don't even know they are there.  I'm not talking about burying them in the mashed potatoes.

Here's what I do:

• For spinach, I dice it up very small and throw it in a pot of spaghetti sauce.  It looks like spices to the kids.  They don't even know the difference! 
• With carrots, I use a food grater to grate it very small or buy it in baby food jars so it's really creamy.  It mixes right into a pasta sauce with no problem.  Again, the kids have no clue.  Same with sweet potatoes.

My next goal:  how to hide corn!

Do you have baby brain?

If you've been told you were suffering from "baby brain" (memory lapses) due to pregnancy, a recent study just proved that concept all wrong.  Read about it here.

Template Problems

Well, I haven't received a response from the creator of this template yet about changing the timestamp - it's the same on every post!  I started dating my posts until they either get back to me or I change my template.  I really liked this template too. 

Graco Stroller Recall

JANUARY 20, 2010

Graco is recalling 1.5 million strollers because of the canopy hinge.  It's caused severe damage to several toddlers.  To find out if your stroller is on the list, go to the CPSC site.  This defect can actually amputate a child's finger so CHECK IT OUT AND PASS IT ON!

Changing Templates

I changed the template for this blog.  I LOVE this template, but the date timestamp is messed up.  They are all saying the same date!  That isn't going to work.  If I can't get the kinks worked out, expect another template change in the future. 

Make Your Time Count

JAN 17 2010

My oldest became a teenager yesterday.  It's amazing to me that 13 years has gone by already since the time she was born during an ice storm in the early hours of the morning. 

Time flies with the kids.  Appreciate the time you have with them and make it count.  Save those memories up because they grow up so fast!

Potty Training Woes

My four-year-old and I were in Wal-Mart today and she ran ahead a short ways to get to the yogurt before me.  She suddenly squats down and yells, "Mom, I'm not wearing a pull-up."  Uh-oh.  That means she has to go NOW and she's having a hard time holding it.  That also likely means she's had an accident in her new princess underwear we bought her to encourage her to want to wear them during the day and just her pull-ups at night.  After she was able to stop and be sure she could hold it, she stood up and we fast-walked to the restrooms to finish the job. 

I can't wait until potty-training is entirely over and there isn't another pull-up in my house - ever!  They've been great but it's definitely time to be done with the potty training.  I'm not sure if she's taking longer because she's the baby and she enjoys being the baby (I've potty trained four other children much earlier than she) or if she truly is just a late one when it comes to potty training.

Parenting has some potty training articles if you'd like to read up on it. 

Pull-Ups has a Potty Dance video now.  Personally, I think the one my daughter and I made up is MUCH better.  It's called "the pee pee dance"  (or "poo poo dance" - depending on the...um...deed being done). 

Canine Baby to Squash Baby Urge

This little girl was a present from my husband.  I think he was hoping that having a "baby" in the house would ensure that no more human baby urges hit me anytime soon.  She lays in my arms like a baby to sleep.  She makes messes like a baby.  She loves to be cuddled like a baby.  However, a baby wouldn't chew on my wall or armoire (at least none of mine ever did).