7 Ways to Use Up Those Extra Baby Food Purees with Your Toddler

Like many of you ladies, I made and froze all of James' baby food when he was little.  I'm obviously not making purees anymore, but I still have some sitting in my freezer begging to be used up.  I also happen to LOVE couponing and even now when I am able to find organic baby food purees for less than 20 cents, you better believe I'm picking it up for traveling and all-day outings.  These came in SUPER handy for our 10 day trek earlier this Spring to visit family.  Since James is a "big boy" now, we've gotten creative with how we use these purees.  Here's a list of a few ways we use purees in his "big boy" diet:

1) Vegetable baby foods over whole grain pasta or brown rice with chicken or beef

-This is the first way I started using up my purees.  Cook your pasta or rice and meat as usual and the puree becomes the sauce!

2) Use vegetable purees on deli sandwiches instead of mayo and mustard.  (Sneaking goodness in there!)

3) Substitute fruit purees for jelly in your PB&J's.

-Or do just the fruit puree w/o any peanut butter.  That's a favorite in our highchair.

4) Mix purees with a scrambled egg to up the nutritional ante.  

-When I'm scrambling an egg for James I usually smash up a banana with it, but if I'm out of bananas I'll take a puree from the pantry and mix it in instead.  He loves it!

5) Make a wrap with fruit puree as your spread and any fresh fruit you have on hand.

-Throw in a whole banana for a quick and yummy snack or add some sliced strawberries.  A swipe of peanut/nut butter adds some protein to make it a filling lunch.

6) Let them use purees to practice feeding themselves with a spoon. 

-James loves yogurt and applesauce and those have been our primary spoon foods for him to feed himself.  He's doing a great job lately!  There are also some really yummy (yes, I tried them) organic fruit and granola purees that are a little thicker that he does well feeding himself.

7) Make a smoothie!
    
- Our frozen ice cubes of pureed fruits and veggies have come in handy for throwing into smoothies!  Spinach is a favorite in our smoothies because it's so jam-packed with goodness.  Throw in some frozen fruit or purees and you're golden!

I'd love to hear how you use (or plan to use) your purees in the future!  We need more ideas :)  Leave a comment below!

Remembering His marvelous works

Psalm 105:1-6
1Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name;  Make known His deeds among the peoples!
2Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!
3Glory in His holy name;  Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
4Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
5Remember His marvelous works which He has done,  His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
6O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

This was one of those times when I just flipped open my Bible and read the first thing my eye was drawn to. I'm not sure if I should admit this, but I really love doing that.  God seems to always point out a verse or passage that I really need to see.  It's also great since being a stay-at-home mom of a toddler doesn't always afford a large block of time to sit and study.  God gives me these little nuggets that I can meditate on throughout the day and that's exactly what I need right now (that might have something to do with "mommy brain").  All I know is that it is so much easier for me to see how God wants me to apply His Word to my life when I read (and re-read) short passages and let them sink in throughout the day. I do get some time in the evenings to dig in and commune with my God before I go to bed and that time is SUCH a blessing.  Please don't think I am knocking a scheduled quiet time with the Lord.  I can't tell you how much God works in my heart through those special times.  Really.  I long for that time away with the Lord.  I must also admit that I have been guilty of being so determined to finish reading a passage or set number of chapters that I miss the application part altogether and it ends up being nothing more than a task to check off my to do list.  You don't get much more counter-productive than that.  God's still working on me :)

But anyway, these verses really reminded me that I need to be talking about what God has done in my life.  I need to be talking about the amazing salvation He gave me by sending His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and die on a cross because of my sin, about the blessing my husband and my son are, about the little blessings He gives me throughout the day just to remind me that He loves me extravagantly.

Going back to the subject of "Mommy Brain" (it's real!), I tend to forget things a lot more since I got pregnant with James.  Like things that happened earlier in the day, what I ate for breakfast or even remembering what day it is.  So it is so so important that I write things down or work hard to meditate on them so I can remember.  I wanted to take a moment here and "5Remember His marvelous works which He has done,  His wonders,".  A song that keeps running through my head today says "The only thing that's good in me is Jesus", and I want that to be my theme.  The Lord Jesus Christ alone deserves all the credit for anything good that has come from my life.

Things God has done for me:

Most importantly, He saved me from what I deserve, which is hell.  My sin separated me from God because He is perfect, holy.  To bridge the gap between us, He sent His perfect, holy Son to Earth to live life here and to do so without sinning, not even once.  He was a perfect and spotless Lamb.  He allowed Himself to be hung on a cross to take my punishment and my shame.  He took my place and allowed me to have His righteousness.  Because I believe He is who He says He is, that what He did completely took away my guilt, and I've decided to turn from my previous way of life where I lived only for myself, and to live my life to glorify Him, I can be with Him for all eternity.  I can glorify Him in heaven forever.

He gave me the opportunity to learn about Him from an early age.  My childhood wasn't picture perfect, but I can look back and see that God was pursuing me the entire time.

He has brought me back when I have strayed (which is a lot!).  My heart is fickle.  It is so easy for me to get off track.  When I get discouraged after I have strayed yet again, I think about the children of Israel and how many times they turned from the Lord.  I see how God corrected them and brought them back to Himself and I see that in my own life.  I am thankful that God is still pursuing me.

He brought a godly, loving, hardworking man into my life who is now my husband.  I could talk for days about how perfect God's timing was when I met Evan.  We were both at a point where we had given up on ever finding someone.  We were both broken.  Evan is the best gift God has ever given me besides my salvation.  He is kind and quick to forgive me when I have wronged him...again.  The Lord has used him to show me how much He (God) loves me and that His love is not based on my performance.





He has given me the sweetest, silliest baby boy.  Being a mom has taught me so much about God's love for me as well.  Being a parent puts the Gospel into a completely different context.  I am able to understand God's love so much better, because I understand the sacrifice God made in sending His only Son to Earth to die an excruciating death for people who don't "get it".  

My little man has given me the opportunity to show him the love that God has shown me.  I'm reminded daily that God loves me when I throw my temper tantrums, or when I want something that's not good for me and He gently guides me back to His arms. Every. Time.


He has given my husband a wonderful job that he loves.  He has given me friends here who have similar values and beliefs.  In a field where the norm seems to be work first and family and religion somewhere down the line, He has put Evan on a staff with other men who profess Christ and make it a point to treasure their families.

He has allowed us to live in an apartment that meets our financial needs while being super close to Evan during the day.  We are able to walk over to meet Evan for lunch or to just run around on the football field.  This has been key in helping work out with the logistics of having one car.  The Lord also packed our apartment full of little blessings.

This place was built in the 60's or 70's so my kitchen is made for someone who cooks.  It's U-shaped (all you FCS majors will appreciate that!) and has a big window over the sink where I can see birds and squirrels scampering about :)  The layout is perfect for us, with both bedrooms on the same side of the apartment.  I love being able to hear the little man without a monitor.  We have a laundry area and a huge closet for lines and cleaning supplies (This is a big deal since I make our laundry detergent in 10 gallon batches).  Our King bed fit in our bedroom!  There was a little 12 in. or so knock-out in one wall that it slid into perfectly.  The same thing happened in the little man's room.  There was an alcove between his 2 closets (yes, 2) :) and I almost cried when I slid his crib into that space with about 2 inches of clearance on each side.  That gave us plenty of room for his toys, furniture and most importantly, our guest bed which we didn't think we would be able to keep.  We also have a HUGE grassy area in front of our apartment which gives James so much room to just run!

I have been overwhelmed by all of these little things, but the most breathtaking blessing of our apartment is out our living room window. We have a gorgeous view of the mountains.  You can't seem them in this picture because it was snowing so hard over them.  I am convinced that our apartment must have the best view in the whole complex.  God's creation truly does sing His praises.  It is a constant reminder of His love and sufficiency.  I love our apartment!  Baseboard heaters, no AC and all!  It's been such a sweet reminder of God's love for us and that this is part of His plan for our family.

I also want to praise the Lord for the sweetness of my little boy each day.  Today he was sitting on my lap and out of the blue he said, "Ba-bath! Ah nee ba-bath!" and hopped down and ran to the bathroom door.  He was so upset when I told him we needed to wait until Daddy got home and we ate dinner.  Bath is typically Daddy-Jamesy time so I try to reserve that for them, but I was so impressed with his determination and ability to verbalize his desire.  He is growing up SO FAST!

He also got into my embroidery thread today and brought me a roll declaring that is was a "fooball! fooball!" :)  LOVE him!  Building towers with him just so he can knock them down (read: make them explode all over the living room) is a highlight of our days right now and I couldn't be more thankful to get to spend my days with him.


This was a bit lengthy, but I so appreciate you hanging in there and praising God with me for the blessings He has showered on us.  I am truly thankful that I am able to "Make known His deeds among the peoples!" and "Talk of all His wondrous works!".

I would love to hear how God has blessed you!  Leave a comment below sharing God's wondrous works in your life.  
  

Buffalo/BBQ Chicken Primavera

This was what I threw together for a quick dinner tonight.  I decided to put it on here because I am notorious for losing recipes or forgetting that I ever made them :)  If you have a question, feel free to leave a comment and I'll elaborate.  It was really simple though and so so yummy!

1 lb cooked pasta (mine was frozen then thawed by filling my ziplock with warm water)
1 lb or so cooked shredded chicken (mine was frozen when I put it in)
1 lb frozen broccoli
1 bell pepper or 1/2 of 2 peppers
Tabasco to taste
1/4 cup or so of ranch (I just drizzled it)
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 block of cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Put pasta, chicken and veggies in a casserole dish.  Slice cream cheese into 1/2 inch thick slices and lay it on top of pasta/chicken.  Drizzle sauces over everything and place into the oven for 15 minutes.  Stir.  Put in the oven for 10 minutes more.  Stir. Top with cheese. Put in the oven for 5 minutes more so cheese melts.

Life begins when?

When I posted this on facebook today, I felt the need to apologize for "ranting" since I'm not typically one to throw out my opinion in a way that may be confrontational.  That thought was quickly replaced by the realization that ranting is exactly what I should be doing.  My anger and heartbreak is justified in this.  


As I wrote that status, there was so much more I wanted to say.  So much more information I wanted to share so that maybe someone who does not fully understand "what the big deal is" could see that, logically, abortion cannot be justified as anything other than killing a defenseless baby.  Here is what I wrote along with a link to an article written by an abortion survivor that I'll link below:

The Gosnell trial has broken my heart while at the same time stirring up so much anger in me toward those who attempt to justify their stance that an unborn baby is not "living" or "human" and therefore has no rights. Preemies born at 25 weeks are loved, prayed for, and given amazing care in the NICU, yet a mother who decides she no longer wants her child in her 3rd trimester (or up to the point of birth in Victoria, Australia), can choose to kill a baby who, if born in a hospital the same day, would, in normal circumstances, survive. I, just like each of my mommy friends, have felt life inside of me. Each week, we have compared our unborn babies' size to fruits and poured over all the details of how our precious child is developing. Hearing James' heartbeat was one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. I was able to see his heart pumping in an ultrasound when he was 7 weeks along. Life begins at conception and your "choice" occurs prior to that. Your child has their own body systems separate from yours. Their own blood type. Their own unique fingerprints and DNA. These facts make it undeniable to me that, no child who is conceived is an accident. God creates each child uniquely and has a purpose for his or her life. "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord" - Ps 127:3

I'd like to expand on some of the points in the paragraph above:  

"those who attempt to justify their stance that an unborn baby is not "living" or "human" and therefore has no rights"

The same science that many pro-choicers use to justify their denial of God in creation and in the world around us (while still not being able to nail down a 'first cause', I might add) is hushed away when the issue of abortion is the topic of the day.  It matters not that when sperm and egg unite, your baby (zygote) has a full set of 46 chromosomes, or that this baby's heart starts beating at 6 weeks gestation which is 4 weeks after conception.  So for many of us, by the time you know for sure that you're pregnant, your baby's heart is pumping blood.  I'm not sure about you, but that seems like a sign of life to me!  

"Preemies born at 25 weeks are loved, prayed for, and given amazing care in the NICU, yet a mother who decides she no longer wants her child in her 3rd trimester (or up to the point of birth in Victoria, Australia), can choose to kill a baby who, if born in a hospital the same day, would, in normal circumstances, survive."

I know mothers whose babies were born prematurely.  Their babies were loved and prayed for during their stays in the NICU.  I know nurses who have spent years of their lives caring for preemies in the NICU.  We have amazing medical facilities, medical professionals, medicines and procedures devoted solely to the intensive care and recovery of children born many weeks early.  What is the difference between those babies and babies who are aborted at the same gestational age?  Nothing!  Why is it that some children are not given the same opportunity to survive that others are.  These babies are being literally thrown away while other are hooked to life-saving machines and having extensive surgeries.  The only difference is that one mother has decided to fight for her baby's life while the other has decided that her life/lifestyle is most important and that her baby's life is of such little worth that it can be thrown in the trash.  

James at 20 weeks gestation

Life begins at conception and your "choice" occurs prior to that. 

When I first suspected I was pregnant with James, I took a pregnancy test.  I actually ended up taking 5 in all and they were all negative.  Of course my next step was to go to WebMD and try to figure out what was up and why I was having the symptoms I was having.  After thoroughly scaring myself, I made an OB appointment and made sure my husband would be present so we could find out which of my WebMD self-diagnoses were correct.  I went through the standard initial questions and urine sample and went back to the waiting room.  Much to my surprise, the CNA came and asked me to step into the doorway of the waiting room (within earshot of my husband and another couple who were also waiting) and said words I will never forget. "Did you know you were pregnant?"  I looked at my husband in disbelief and stammered "No" with a shocked smile on my face.  What she said next made me stop in my tracks.  "Oh! Did you wanna be?"  I don't know exactly what came out of my mouth, but what went through my mind was "That is not a legitimate question."  Thankfully,  I quickly regained my previous shock and glee and with tears rolling down my face, Evan and I sat together and took in our new reality.  To us, this was a new, and somewhat unexpected turn in our lives.  We had immediately been given the most important responsibility we could be blessed with.  There was no turning back.  And that's the point.  Once you know there is life inside of you, there should be no question as to what you will do.  Your choice happened at least 4 weeks before that moment.  I'm sorry if this offends anyone, actually I'm not, please feel free to be offended, but if you didn't want a baby, weren't "ready", had goals that could be derailed by having a child, already had more children than you could handle, etc., don't have sex!  I'm serious.  It's not that difficult.  Ladies and gentlemen, abstinence is the only contraceptive that works 100% of the time.  Plus, God truly blesses those who choose to obey His Word and wait until marriage.  If you choose to have sex before you're "ready" to have a baby, be a responsible adult/teenager and keep your baby.  If keeping your baby after he or she is born is not possible or not best for your child, please consider putting them into a loving home with a family who longs to have a child and who will bring them up in a solid, stable home.  Families like this wait years to be able to have a child to adopt.  I am so overwhelmed at the bravery and selflessness of mothers who have their baby and allow a family to adopt him or her to give them a better life.  It is a beautiful, wonderful thing.  


I, just like each of my mommy friends, have felt life inside of me. Each week, we have compared our unborn babies' size to fruits and poured over all the details of how our precious child is developing. Hearing James' heartbeat was one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. I was able to see his heart pumping in an ultrasound when he was 7 weeks along. 


My son's kicks were so strong in my second trimester and only got more and more vigorous as the weeks went on.  He was definitely living while he was in my belly.  I have videos of my pregnant belly moving around like a water bed to prove it!  There was no doubt in my mind throughout my entire pregnancy that my baby was a human.  We picked out names early and called him by it as soon as we knew he was a boy.   He was never just a fetus.  He was James.  

Your child has their own body systems separate from yours. Their own blood type. Their own unique fingerprints and DNA. These facts make it undeniable to me that, no child who is conceived is an accident. God creates each child uniquely and has a purpose for his or her life. 

It's true!  A child has their DNA intact before the mother knows she is pregnant.  DNA which determines every tiny detail about this tiny person.  Their gender, eye color, and nose shape is all coded and determined before the mother has a positive pregnancy test.  This is a person.  A person with a separate body from their mother.  It's amazing!  Their blood is completely separate from their mothers.  This baby's tiny heart pumps its own blood!  This baby's body is not a part of the mother's body.  They are separate entities connected by an umbilical cord.  God intentionally created this little person with the precision and detail that a craftsman creates a masterpiece.   He has a plan for him or her.  In Jeremiah 1:5, God explains to Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."  How powerful is that?  No matter whether or not your parents intended to conceive you, YOU WERE FORMED BY GOD HIMSELF!  You were not an accident.  This has been a powerful truth for me to understand.  No baby is an accident.  God is forming each child in his mother's womb for a purpose.  

In closing, I'd like to say that I feel that Abortionists like Gosnell, many times, prey on scared, uninformed women who do not know the facts about what they are about to do.  Many of these women feel that their lives will be ruined if they choose to have a baby that was unplanned.  Can I please say that a baby will not ruin your life.  Your attitude and reaction to whatever trials you face in life will determine where your life goes.  Bitterness and resentment, no matter what the cause, will ruin your life.  Please don't blame an innocent child.  The joy and love a child brings far outweighs that physical and emotional strain of motherhood.  

I personally, applaud all mothers who have chosen adoption for their child over abortion as well as hard-working mothers who have kept their babies and are fighting to make a good life for their child.  You are truly strong women.  Friends, we must share the information we have with the world around us.  We must support and encourage women who need our help and we must make our world a place in which abortion is not an option.  

Check out these links:

Life United - Videos, information and resources:
http://www.lifeunited.org/

Mayo clinic on a baby's development week by week:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prenatal-care/PR00112

Abortion statistics:
http://www.abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics/

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/births_deaths_marriages_divorces/family_planning_abortions.html

Just a little bit of our afternoon

We had fun playing outside (<- a current favorite word of James') and a fun walk with some buddies this afternoon! Here are a few highlights :)

He loves grass...

but not pictures apparently :)

He's so fast!  I'm amazed I got this picture.  Usually, I just get the back of his head.

We stopped by Daddy's office and had to have a "na-na" because Daddy was eating his lunch.  James devoured it like always.

Squinty face grins are the best! 

We walked into one building for a potty break and I found this piano on display which was supposedly the first piano West of Asheville!  The History nerd in me just loved this.

All tuckered out. :)  

I'm so thankful for this wonderful afternoon and our amazing Creator who gave us such a beautiful place to live along with giving me the blessing of being James' mommy.  Love this little fella!

Home (Pre) School

The little man has recently had an explosion of verbal skills which I am loving!  (I realize in a few years, I may not feel the same way.)  He has a few that are spot on like, "dada", "mama", "apple", "Hey!", and the newest favorite, "Amen!".  I'll translate the rest:

"nana" = "Mom, I'm hungry" also "I would like to eat that banana."
"uh oh" = "I dropped that on the floor so you'll pick it up and give it back to me so we can repeat the process."
"muh" = "big kiss for this stuffed animal" or "Here, you kiss my animal!"

There are lots more that aren't consistent yet, but he's getting REALLY good at copying us.  This is making me a little more aware of what I say...it is also making me catch myself speaking to adults in toddler-speak...FABULOUS!

Since James is picking up on everything, this weekend I decided that since things are starting to slow down a bit from the mach-speed move a few weeks ago, it is high time I should be getting myself and the little man into a set routine in our new digs.  His eating and nap schedule haven't changed much but I needed a concrete schedule that incorporated a specific time each day for educational/developmental activities, music, outdoor/messy play, and most importantly, a time for learning about our God.  So far these things have been peppered into our days sporadically which means my brain is all over the place.  I thrive in a structured environment and as a SAHM, I have struggled to create that structure for myself.  (I typically have no idea what time it is.)  Since homeschooling is a path we are looking into for the future, I decided to have a trial run at it and treat our days at home like I would if I was in a classroom setting (except we stay in our PJ's and cuddle a lot).  I am a very visual person, so to accomplish this, I need something in front of my face to keep me on track.  Enter, technology.  When the little man first came home, I created a Google calendar with his feeding and sleeping schedule that gave me reminders throughout the day.  The only problem was, I had to be at my laptop to see it.  It invariably fell by the wayside.  I've since used a notebook, a dry erase board, etc, but nothing has worked as well as my current system does.  My husband got a free iPhone a few days ago so I inherited our iPod touch which I've been super pumped about.  I opened my Google calendar for the first time in ages and there was our schedule from the days when the little man nursed every 2 hours.  That made me a little teary eyed, but then I realized I could have his current schedule in my hand with alerts throughout the day (yay!).  I entered his current schedule along with some new elements I wanted to incorporate and customized the alerts.  It has been so great!  I also made some printable schedules and worksheets for myself. (Remember, I like visuals!)  The schedules are going in frames in the little boy room soon.  (pics to follow)

The worksheets are simple.  They just give me a place to write out ideas I have for each of the "subject areas" I want to cover.  I have our afternoon split up into the following categories:

1) School Time
     a. Letters, Sight Words, Reading
     b. Numbers, Counting, Math
     c. Sensory play
     d. Motor Skill Activities
     e. Bible Time

2) Music Time
     a. Listening
     b. Making Music

3) Outdoor Time
     a. Messy Fun
     b. Games, Being Active

I realize that I may not get to each of these points every day, but I like to aim high and try to get in as much as I can.  For now, our School Time lessons consist of me writing words on a white board that James says already while showing him the object or person, counting our noses, eyes, hands and feet, scribbling with a crayon and reading sensory books, and Bible stories.  I hope to branch out to include more hands on activities, crafts, etc.  That's why I made these sheets.  When I find an activity that fits into what we are working on, I'll write it in for that week.  I'm so excited to be able to do this!  I will be happy to email you the printables I've made to help me keep things in order.  Just shoot me a quick message requesting them and I'll send the pdf's on to you.

Fun with Cheerios

I've seen lots of blogs showing scooping and pouring activities for toddlers using dried beans or rice, but my first thought when I see those is...I would be fishing beans and rice out of little J's mouth non-stop.  I've let him play with containers many times and even one time filled a bowl with water for him to dip and scoop...but as you can imagine, that ended up being a splash fest and somehow the water that started out in the kitchen ended up in a HUGE puddle on my carpet...I'm a first time mom.  So having learned my lesson with water and knowing all to well how things would end up with dry beans, I had the brilliant idea of using Cheerios for our scooping/counting/sorting activity today.  We don't typically eat cheerios, but my dad left them here the last time he was here and I figured, if little J eats these it's no big deal, it's a fun snack even!

This is how things began. Containers neatly arranged, measuring spoon to scoop, sun shining, birds chirping

This tranquil scene of learning and exploration...

Quickly turned into this...

:)

He did explore the containers...

...placed Cheerios into containers one at a time...

  

...and crammed lots of Cheerios in his mouth.

 

He's really cute!

And he had a blast :)  So proud of himself!

Lots of love from James! <3