Sleep = Happy

The last time I recall getting a good night's sleep was...before I was pregnant. No joke. Once I was pregnant my morning to-do list consisted of not vomiting while getting out of bed & moving to the couch.

Then the acid reflux came, in which a bottle of tums was my best friend & sleeping companion, sorry husband.

Then the pressure on the bladder and the bathroom trips every hour. Then Little Miss arrived. And sleeping is not her forte. So every 3 hours (on average) I wake up, feed the little one, and rock her back to sleep.

I don't even remember the last time I had dreams. Eight and a half months of little, broken up sleep...until last night.

I've been asking everyone for months how they got their babies to finally sleep. I've been reading everything I can on the subject, and finally after listening to my friend Shauna, again, tell me her success story - Ry & I decided to dive in head first last night to sleep training our little one.

We didn't swaddle, we didn't go pop binky back in when it fell out & woke her up - we let her figure that out. She actually will find it in the dark and put it back in herself...ha!

We started yesterday with naps & she really is getting the hang of self-soothing. And it's not taking all the "cry it out" that people talk about. We just make sure she's sleepy enough, rock her a little (but not to sleep) and then put her in her crib. And she puts herself to sleep! Awesome. I can't even tell you how excited I am!

She slept last night from 10pm-2am, ate briefly, then from 2:15am-9am! What!? Nearly 7 hours straight!! I actually went and checked on her a few times to make sure she was still breathing...so my dear friend Shauna - I owe you my life! Or at least an ice cream outing. Thanks for giving me the confidence to finally sleep train.

I woke up happier, refreshed, and a better mom because of it. And I actually had dreams last night! Albeit, weird ones, dreams nonetheless! Yeah for sleep training!!

Homemade Baby Food

I have made all of Little Miss's baby food - except the cereal, and I love it!

I found this great website - wholesomebabyfood.com - and it has saved us a ton of money, plus it's fresh and super healthy, and way easier than you'd think.

The website has info on food safety, age to introduce certain foods, best ways to cook it to keep the most nutrition in, food storage, recipes, and allergy information. I love it!

To date I've made - sweet potato, peas, carrots, prunes, apples, bananas, zuchini, butternut squash, peaches, avocado, pears, and green beans.

Most of them get steamed, pureed, and then I just freeze them in cubes in an ice cube tray for storage. Then in freezer bags with labels & dates.
I love being able to make Little Miss healthy fresh food & knowing exactly what is in there. Plus, I've done a little taste testing - homemade tastes way better!

And as if I couldn't be more OCD about the process - I keep all the ziplocs in a new pull-out shoe organizer - this way the little bags don't get lost in our all-too-small freezer.

Little Miss always helps me - by watching - and loves to know what's going on in the kitchen. She is always up for tasting while making too!
A couple of bonuses....

• Frozen food cubes help soothe teething gums
• Cooking healthy for Little Miss makes us automatically eat better too
• When steaming apples, our house smells delicious!

I would recommend this to everyone - especially in this economy. Gotta penny-pinch where we can!

The Projects

The Recipes

*indicates extra healthy factor - usually sneaky...

Appetizers

Breakfast

• Green Eggs *
• Pink Pancakes *

Entrees

• Creamy White Chicken Chili
• Penne Pesto Chicken
• Poppyseed Chicken
• Secretly Healthy Lasagna *
• Spicy Baked Macaroni
• Stuffed Zucchini
• Zucchini Souffle

Crockpot

• Apple & Pear Pork Roast
• Baked Potato Soup
• Lasagna

Side Dishes

Dessert {the most important part!}

• Cake Balls
• Cranberry White Chip Blondies
• Easiest Cheesecake Ever
• Lucky Lime Pie
• Pear Tarts
• Thanksgiving Pies 2009

Drinks

• Green Smoothies *

Baby Food

• The Basics

Food Storage

• Strawberry Freezer Jam

Misc

• Basic Sauces

Daily Homeschool

Think homeschooling is hard? It terrifies me. One day my husband said...

"What would be different? You've been teaching our kids everyday since they were born! You are their teacher." Huh, never thought of that before!

Coming soon is a collection of quick links to learning activities, books to read, field trip ideas, and worksheets. All kindergarten prep worthy!

The Reviews

Easiest Cheesecake Ever!

I love to bake, especially pie, and especially cheesecake. But if you don't want to wait around for the oven timer to ding before you can dive in...this is the recipe for you! It is super easy, and cheap - kudos to my mother-in-law, it is her recipe.

- 1 graham crust (or oreo)
- 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, room temperature (or microwave for 20 seconds...out of wrapper of course)
- 1 (8 oz) cool whip, room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Whip cream cheese & powdered sugar with electric beater till fluffy - then beat in cool whip. Scoop into crust, lick beaters, and refrigerate until ready to serve! That's it!

You can top with cherry, blueberry, raspberry, or whatever pie filling you want. Maybe not apple though, that'd be a little weird. I also thought it would be fun to top with a crushed heath bar or something.

And to get fancier you could take the same recipe - do a thin layer of cherry pie filling on the crust, underneath the cheese cake mixture - then top with crushed oreos...and the ideas keep flowing! Super easy, and you can get creative too! Enjoy!

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The author, Randy Pausch, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, retiring from teaching, asked to give his 'last lecture' as all professors are - and then was told he had lost his fight and had only 3-6 months to live.

What resulted was this book & an amazing lecture - he doesn't focus on dying and how to cope - it's all about how to live. Tidbits of wisdom that everyone can benefit from!

The story is truly touching - he was only in his 40's, father to 3 young children, and the legacy that he left for them is incredible.

I saw him interviewed on TV & part of his lecture given, and ever since I've wanted to read this book - thanks to my in-laws for giving it to us for Christmas!

A must read for everyone! Very uplifting, even though I did tear up a few times...

Favorite Quote: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" - as quoted by Randy Pausch from Seneca, the Roman philosopher.

Read More At The Official Site

Mom's Anthem

What a clever lady...