by Heather
Whitney called me yesterday for advice about Scarlett’s nap and potential childcare arrangement and what to do about disrupting her sleeping mojo. I made up an answer and recalled how Milo got a funky nap schedule when he started “school” at 7 months old. If she liked what I said, she probably felt good about her decisions and went about her day. If she didn’t… she probably thought, “next!” and called someone else.
Make a list of your mom friends so you know your network when you have a weird question about sleeping, wonky nipples, babysitters, playgrounds, or anything! It can be an actual written list you keep some place in case you want to do a quick survey– or an email “group” you set up using your email program.
Whitney likes to do actual polls using the poll feature on Yahoo groups. Geek.
by Whitney
First, I’ll give credit where it’s due:
The author of redcurrent.com gave a clear tutorial for how to make these pants, and the author of tinyhappy displayed inspiring before and after pictures of her tshirts made into pants.
Now, let’s celebrate my success, people. I took this long-sleeved t-shirt belonging to Ryan, and while Julian was asleep, I cut the two required pieces to make pants. About 5 minutes. It’s just a left leg and a right leg. Then, I sewed them together. Now ten minutes have passed. The kid was still sleeping! Then, Heather and Holden came over. Julian woke up, and while the boys wreaked havoc in my bedroom, tossing plastic shovels, cotton balls and Cheerios this way and that, Heather made 75% of a pair of lounge pants for Holden while I coached her and wrangled her baby. Sure, he had to sit in the Pack and Play for a few minutes, but we had a good time. Later that night, I sewed my elastic waist in. The whole project was about 40 minutes. The full tutorial is here.
[click to continue...]
by Whitney
There are a couple things about milkshakes that Julian really likes. Drinking with a straw is one of them. Watching me make it is the other part. What I like about shakes is that he’s getting milk and the magic superfood blueberries at the same time. Bonus that none of it goes on the floor because he’s so captivated by the straw experience.
The key to my milkshake is the Kitchenaid stick mixer, also known as an immersion blender. This takes two seconds to clean and there is no set up. This is a helpful tool for all baby food making. Ok, I lied, the other key to my milkshake is frozen organic strawberries. Buy them. It helps to have something frozen in your shake to give it a little froth. For those who think ahead, you could keep banana in the freezer. Just make sure to peel it before you store it.
How to make the shake: Put about 10 frozen strawberries, a cup of milk, a handful of blueberries and a banana into a plastic container. Blend. Pour into child-friendly cup and add a straw. Add a second straw for extra fun.
by Heather
What could be better than molten chocolate, some close friends, and very little cleanup? Precious few things, I tell you.
I stumbled upon this idea on the Student Cook website and decided it would be a fun time for at-home, once-baby-is-down-for-the-night socializing.
We hosted the other Rookie Family for chocolate fondue and games not too long ago (I guess it was kinda a while ago because I was still pregnant, but whatever). Pick your favorite dip-ins and delegate those to your friends, potluck-style. It’s fun to tell your pals, “bring organic marshmallows and a pineapple please” while you make a delicious dark chocolate soup.
[I'm only sorry the picture shows cheese and not chocolate, but cheese is fun too.]
