Homemade Baby Food

This was my second time around since Judah has been on solids to make his baby food. The cost of jar baby food just gripes me and I cringe every time I have to buy some. We do keep some on hand for when we go out, but at home he eats the homemade. This particular round I did green beans, peas, and carrots, all frozen. When I make squash and sweet potatoes, I use fresh. I didn't have time this particular day to all of the veggies. I can't afford to buy all organic veggies so I buy what I can afford and wash the fresh veggies with my hydrogen peroxide veggie wash.



I started out with three pans and cooked the veggies until done. I strained them and then put them into a blender. You don't have to have a baby food maker to make homemade baby food. A regular blender does fine. Puree until smooth. The thicker veggies, such as sweet potatoes and peas, will require you to add a little water. Add a little at a time though until blending smoothly.

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When finished with that step, pour into ice cube trays and freeze. When completely frozen pop out and put into ziplock bags, label, and store in the freezer.



*Tips*- Let the frozen trays sit for at least 10 minutes before you pop out the veggies or you will break them, especially if using cheaper trays. I have found the Rubbermaid ones work the best. They are expensive, especially if you buy in bulk so look for them used at second hand shops. I usually use 8-10 at a time.



I steam the squash to prevent it from being too squishy. I never microwave any of the veggies. Microwave cooking is not healthy and will radiate the food. It doesn't take that much time to stove top cook.



When your baby hits 8-9 months and can handle thicker textures, simply puree the food you prepared for supper for your family, minus the spices for heat reasons.



Four cubes is equal to one- 4 oz. jar. For lunch and supper I will set out four cubes before breakfast to ensure thawing. If I forget, I simply take them out of the freezer when I do remember and put them into a glass container to warm in our toaster oven. Like I said, I never warm his food in the microwave unless I'm in a pinch.



For his fruits at home, he eats fresh bananas or apple sauce. I buy the unsweetened jar applesauce and will add fresh pureed blueberries if they are on sale. When apples or pears are on sale, feel free to make your own applesauce or pearsauce.

What I'm Learning

We are going through a parenting study on DVD in Sunday School by Chip Ingram. We will start our fourth session tomorrow. I think I can speak for the whole class when I say we have all been encouraged.

Some of the points he discusses I feel like we are good at such as quality family time, affection, praying often with our children. Other aspects need some work. We need to be more consistent, demanding instant obedience. We have tried hard for the last several weeks. It is sooo hard because honestly I get tired of spanking Libby. I feel awful when I have to. It breaks my heart, but I know it's for her benefit and her good.

How will she ever grow up to obey her Heavenly Father whom she hasn't seen if she can't obey her earthly parents whom she does see? Children will have an easier time obeying the still small voice of the Lord if they learn to obey yours at a young age.

Joey has been praying for the Lord to help him be consistent with family devotions. The nights we are at home, we have been doing them. We are reading through John in small portions that Libby can handle. Joey discusses the portion with us in a way she can understand. We sing several songs together. Not just kid songs, but songs with a story. She loves to sing Amazing Grace, Jesus Paid It All, and Victory in Jesus. She knows the verses by heart. Some of her other favorites are Do Lord, The Lord's Army, and If You're Happy and You Know It. We share requests. Joey prays and then Libby wants to pray.

We purchased "The Jesus Storybook Bible" by Sally Loyd-Jones. Her husband is Martin Loyd-Jones, one of the great modern day theologians. In my opinion it's the best Bible story book for kids. Each story points back to Christ. We also use that as part of our devotion time.

We are striving as a family to incorporate more doctrinal truth and teachable moments as we go about our day.

Like Chip Ingram said, sex, language, and violence is easy to spot in movies and TV. But where we are subtly pulled in is when a woman from a bad marriage becomes involved with a man from a bad marriage and somehow we find ourselves rooting for them. He said a teachable moment there would be to stop the movie or turn the TV off and talk to your older kids why that is not ok and how that lifestyle doesn't honor the Lord. Instead of letting things like that slide, take time to address them.

You can do that with little ones too. When another child in Wal-Mart is talking disrespectfully to her mother or throwing a fit, take time to address the situation. Tell them Jesus wants us to talk sweet to our parents and that it pleases Him when we are kind to others. Find teachable moments. They are there.

Sooooo, that is what we are learning to do. I have failed. I will continue to fail. I am praying for wisdom. We have one shot on this parenting journey. I don't want to mess it up. Other things you might can blame on someone else. You can't blame your parenting mishaps on someone else.

If you feel like you have failed. You aren't alone. There is forgiveness and restoration from the Lord. Pray. Ask for wisdom and start today making a difference in your home. Your children's souls are at stake.

Clean Sweep Part 3

I hope to make this the last of the "Clean Sweep" series. I don't want to get bogged down in the nitty gritty details of organizing because I might lose all of the few readers I have:D)

From pantry cabinets, to bookshelves, to your dreaded junk drawer...there is always something to be organized it seems. Bad news: your organizing will never stop. Good news: it will come closer to staying that way if you have a good system of organizing the stuff.

I will touch on a few more points and then call it quits.

Before I had two kids, my son's room was then the guest bedroom and his closet held all the extra stuff that wouldn't fit into ours. Crafts supplies, sewing supplies, batteries, teaching CD's/tapes, games, etc. are still at the top of his closet neatly tucked away into small Rubbermaid type containers with lids. Each box is marked on the front with the appropriate items contained in there. We have a container for batteries, craft paint, sermons on CD, small type games such as several decks of card, skip bo, hand held Yahtzee, etc., sewing supplies, and a miscellaneous box that might contain odds and ends that aren't junk but there's not enough of it to have its own box. I have a small three drawer system that sits on top of the filing cabinet also located in the closet, that contains my craft ribbon, school supplies (markers, glue, crayons, and scissors), and the last drawer contains pictures that I want to keep but don't necessarily want to put into albums, i.e. extra portrait pictures from a studio, doubles, etc.

I love those bins and drawer sets. Everything is tucked neatly away and you can label it which also ensures you will put the things into its proper location.

Because I am short on kitchen drawers...three to be exact is all I have...I don't have the luxury of a junk drawer so all my things have to have a place or I would go crazy.

So start this week organizing your junk drawer and make homes for those things. You can probably purchase cheap containers at the Dollar Store if you're short on budget.

Hope this post helped some of you. It's not as extensive as I would have liked but you all know me...I can get wordy sometimes...ok all the time.

Until next time, happy organizing.

Clean Sweep Part 2

Now I hope you have done your assignment:) The second part will be challenging if you haven't ridded out yet, but don't fear. There is still hope and time. Don't be overwhelmed. I can already hear you muttering underneath your breath about how you don't have time and aren't gifted in this area...go slow and pick one small task and you will feel so good after it's done that you will be motivated to do more.

I will only address a few categories today...toys and clothes to be exact... to be organized so if this doesn't apply to you then more categories will come later. If there is something I didn't address then feel free to ask me about it and I will address it the best way I know how.

So get moving sisters...and brothers!

Once you have your trash pile, your charity pile, your garage sale/and or consignment pile then you are ready to begin phase 2. *Side note: I prefer to give my good stuff to consignment vs. saving it for a garage sale because of lack of storage space for me*

The first thing I will address is toys...the dreaded play room...or if you're like me the small bedroom.

My daughter is two years old and loves all things girl and things in between. Purses, babies, jewelry, dress up clothes, kitchen stuff, etc. You get the picture. Things could get real cluttered real quick. My last purging was right after Christmas. I got rid of five babies and left her with four, two purses (she still has two), and all the little bitty junk that gets lost so easy. We don't collect McDonald's toys because for one she has never had a happy meal and two the stuff is junk and clutters up the room.

I organized her closet so that the play kitchen would fit in the corner right when you walk in so she could still play with it but it was out of the way in her room. She got a wooden doll bed for Christmas so all the babies get nestled in there at night. Her kitchen accessories are stored in a small container with a lid. I purchased a three drawer set from Wal-Mart in which the top drawer holds all baby stuff (play diapers, bottles, doll clothes), the second drawer holds all the miscellaneous items like small balls, her flashlight, play purses, etc, and the last drawer holds her dress up items and play jewelry. The rest of her toys are bigger sets that won't fit into drawers (play dough set, doctor play set and her play laptop that she doesn't know how to use yet but she acts like she does:) Those things nestle on top of the drawer set or beside it.

She does have a bookshelf for all her books.

That's about all she has. Doesn't sound like much but how many toys do kids really need? I think kids get real spoiled when they have so much. They no longer appreciate the simplicity in life when they expect to have a room full of stuff. Plus, it's more to organize. All kids have their favorites anyway.

There are obviously things I want to keep for her and Judah as keepsakes so purchase a bin for those things. I do keep most of her crafts and such from Sunday School. I have a basket in the top of the closet that I store those things in each week. When it gets full I will purchase a bin, label it and then store it in our outbuildings. You can't keep everything so keep the best of the best.

Put away the toys that you want to keep that your kids like but maybe have lost interest in and bring them out when they are bored with their current toys. It will be like Christmas all over again.

Encourage family to buy a small toy, coupled with an outfit or two and then give them money for Christmas and birthdays. I requested size 3T outfits for Libby for Christmas so I could put them up for summer or winter. She had plenty of 2T and besides she wears her favorites and some clothes she has never had on.

We have two accounts set up for Libby and Judah so anytime they get money it goes in there.

I also keep a bin in their closets to put out-grown clothes in. It keeps them neat and keeps you from leaving them on the hangers or laying them in the floor to go through later. I regularly go through their closet and purge those items that are getting too small, out-of-season clothes, or clothes she/he wore but I didn't like. Those items go in the give-away pile. By keeping the bin handy, you can put the clothes in there as you need to and they are out of site and neat. When it gets full, label it and store it. If it's your last child, then yoo hoo, you can give it all away right?

Another thought on the kids clothes. Because their closets are big enough, I hang up the next size they will grow into so I always know what I have so I don't buy more than is needed. Throughout the years friends have given us clothes for them but they weren't able to wear yet. Libby has her 2T's hanging up and 3T's on the end. Now when people ask what she needs I can just go into her closet and look.

Same idea for adults except you won't store your clothes in bins unless they are maternity clothes (mine are stored in two bins labeled shirts and jeans, shorts, dresses.) or seasonal clothes if your closets are too small to hold both. My closets are big enough to hold both luckily.


WOW! Didn't mean to be soooo wordy, but there was so much to cover...hope I didn't lose you on this one.

More to come later in the week.

Happy organizing!!!!!

Cloth Diapering

In my quest to save money, I began my cloth diapering journey last March. That was my foremost reason, although there are certainly other reasons to cloth diaper.

• I like the idea of not putting chemicals next to my baby's skin. Ever wonder why the disposables can hold so much? The chemicals in the diapers expand to hold more liquid. I do keep a package of disposables on hand to use at church or if I get behind in my laundering and you know what? I don't worry about it.

• Some babies are even allergic to different brands of disposables so finding the right brand can be difficult. You don't have that issue with cloth.

• They are easy to use, especially if you buy the pocket or all-in-one varieties. They come in awesome colors and different styles to suit your needs/pocketbook.

I currently use Haute (pronounced "oat") one size pocket diapers with Libby. They have a pocket in the back in which you stuff an insert into it. The adjustable snaps in the front allow you to adjust the rise from a newborn to 35 pounds, thus eliminating the need to buy more diapers as they grow. I also use disposables liners with every diaper that catches the poop. If they don't poop the liner gets thrown in with the soiled diaper and washed. There is no waste. Should they happen to poop simply flush the liner and no rinsing is required. I put the soiled diapers in a small trash can with a lid to help hold the smell in. I wash them twice a week, although depending on the number of diapers you have you may have to wash more often or less often. I have 16 diapers which seems to be a good number, but more is always good.

*Mine are snaps instead of Velcro

I also use Charlie's Soap to wash all my laundry. To keep the diaper's absorbency in tact, you need to wash them with an all natural detergent, otherwise with time, they will no longer absorb as much liquid. It's better to use the detergent with all your laundry to keep other detergent's residues left in the washer from getting on your cloths. The cost for Charlie's is actually cheaper than name brand detergents because it's highly concentrated only requiring 1/8 cup for each load.

This time around I have been researching other brands of cloths to use with our son. I like the pockets, but it still involves an extra step of stuffing with an insert. So, I found a one size all-in-one by Mommy's Touch that involves no stuffing, but will still grow with my baby. The insert is sewn in and comes with an extra snap on liner for the heavy wetters.

I have also researched other websites that offer that brand that is cheaper and Nicki's Diapers seem to be the place. I also purchased the Haute pockets from there as well. To purchase seconds or going-out-of-stock diapers check this site for awesome deals. I purchased one mommy's touch diaper from there last month just to try it out and I love it!! It was a brand new second, but I can't tell a difference between those and a new one. They also get great reviews.

For great reviews on cloth diapers, go here to see what other moms are saying.

I love cloth diapering. It's simple, cheaper than using disposables, and healthy for my baby. Yes, the up front cost is more, but the savings and benefits are lifelong.

Sewing 101

After several futile attempts at finding Libby some summer shorts at resale shops and because I am feeling thrifty, I have decided to sew her some myself. Wal-Mart and Target wanted $3.50 and $4.00 respectively for their solid and print shorts and because she needs several pairs, I opted out of spending so much money. A friend has blessed Libby with many hand-me-down shirts in awesome condition, but no bottoms to match them so she has been unable to wear some of them because she has no shorts to match. She has a few pairs of blue jean shorts and a few pairs of capris but no comfy, cotton, play shorts. I purchased a pattern from Wal-Mart and then went through my scrap fabric pieces and raided my mom's bins as well. I spent 2 1/2 hours today cutting out seven pairs of shorts. Libby helped by handing me the pins as I needed them. I showed her that they poked so she was very careful as she gave them to me. The navy and white checked fabric was from an old pair of capris my mom had outgrown that she kept back for such a project as this. She never lets anything go to waste. So, seven pairs of shorts technically will not cost me anything other than the elastic. Pretty cheap if you ask me. I still need to purchase other solid fabric as some of her shirts have prints on them and it would definitely be a no-no to put a printed shirt with printed shorts...I just couldn't do that:) Once I get the hang of making the first pair, I should be able to whip out a pair in less than an hour. It's been a while since I have sewn anything and even that was curtains and throw pillows and an easy-step-one-hour-skirt-with-elastic for me. My mom is overseeing my endeavor on the first pair to make sure I am doing it right, but after that I should be able to sew them on my own. I need to start learning to make more things besides pillows and curtains. I would love to pass on sewing skills to Libby. My mom is a great seamstress but I just wasn't interested growing up and I regret that. I would be so far ahead if I had learned when she wanted to teach me as a child. It's never too late to start though. I am excited about it and I know I will feel a great sense of accomplishment. I will post pictures when I am finished.

Home Destroyers Part 2

This the second part of the e-newsletter sent by Nancy Campbell. Take what is for you, but don't feel condemnation. That certainly is not her intention. She shares what God puts on her heart so may what is meant for you bless and encourage you. I know I need help guarding my tongue all the time and I KNOW I need to turn off the flow at times. May the Lord remind me when it's time!!


Jeremiah 4:22 RSV, "For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are stupid children, they have no understanding. "

Today we continue talking about things that destroy the home.

FOOLISHNESS
Proverbs 14:1, "Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish plucks it down with her hands."

What does it mean to be foolish? Simply, it means to do it my way rather than God's way. God's way, although different to my way always ends in blessing. My way, although it may look good, always ends in destruction.

If we are not building our home, we are pulling it down. How do we pull it down?

1. We pull it down by vacating the home.God wants the mother in the home--nurturing, nourishing and training her children. We can't do everything successfully. We either build up a business (usually someone else's business) or we build up our home. God has given us a full time job to tend our little flock. God gives a warning to the mother shepherdess when He says in Zechariah 11:17, "Woe to the worthless shepherd, who leaves the flock!" Notice that this Scripture has an exclamation mark!

2. We pull it down by our words.Negative words. Critical words. Reactive words. Spiteful words. Angry words. And on it goes.

We build our home with words or we destroy our home with words!

When God allowed Satan to get at his servant Job, he smote him with terrible boils from the top of his head to the sole of his feet Job was in agony and pain. Instead of encouraging him, Job's wife said, "Do you still hold on to your integrity? Curse God, and die." Job replied, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" (Job 2:9-10)

Do you speak as one of the foolish women, or one of the wise?

Sometimes it may not be negative words. It may be wasteful words. Proverbs 15:2 says, "The mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. " Often we speak unnecessary words when we should keep out mouths shut. I am always challenged by Proverbs 10:19, "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." The more we blab on about anything and everything, the more opportunity there is to sin with our mouth. The NLT makes it clearer, "Don't talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!"

3. We pull it down by spending frivolously and unwisely.The foolish woman buys according to her whims and what takes her fancy. She buys groceries without thought for nutrition or without reading the ingredients. She fills her cupboards with devitalized packaged foods instead of cooking from scratch. She purchases unnecessary "things" to fill her home which could be used for wiser needs.

Proverbs 21:20 says, "There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man (or woman) spendeth it up." The foolish woman spends more than her husband can afford. The wise woman lives frugally within her means. I often have to remind my new adopted daughters that we don't have to eat what we want whenever we want. We must learn to live thriftily rather than extravagantly.

4. We pull it down by wasting.Many women not only waste time but waste products. They throw out everything. It is not wise to be a hoarder and clutter up your home, but there are many things that can be re-used to save re-spending.

Many mothers allow their children to pick at their food and leave it on their plate without teaching them to eat what is in front of them. Good food is thrown in the trash. This is wasteful.

May God deliver us from being in the "foolish women category" that pulls down their home.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER: "Father, please touch my lips with coals from off the altar. I don't want to speak negative words. Fill my mouth with encouraging and life-giving words that will build up my husband and my children. Amen."


AFFIRMATION: Building up my home with uplifting words, To do anything else is utterly absurd!

"Pamela Plaster"

That's what "their" calling me. My mom has a wall in her kitchen that had outdated wallpaper so she decided that she wanted it stripped...so who got volunteered to do it??? Amy and I finally completed the week long project three weeks ago. It was a job to say the least! She has always wanted the venetian plaster look like you see at Olive Garden. So, she goes to Lowe's and buys the bucket and says, "Here you go." I have never textured a wall much less plastered one with fancy goop. It took several "swipes" and tool changes, but Amy and I finally got the hang of it. I must say, it looks "Olive Garden," "Italian," and "Tuscan." I will post pictures once we get the wall painted and glazed. It wasn't hard work, but very tedious and may I say messy! We had to get on our hands and knees and use a scraper to remove globs from the hardwood and the baseboards. Then we had to sweep up the remains and then mop and then move the furniture (i.e. frig, hutch, etc.) back to its original location. Their frig weighs a ton! I think it will look good once it's completed. But, I've decided that I'm no longer up for hire in regards to "plastering" so I hope she doesn't get a crazy idea to do her whole house.

I've been so busy the last couple of days that I haven't had time to post much so I thought I would post about this...quick, easy, and simple. I still plan on posting pictures of the work day, but on a 28.8 connection, it's taking a verrrrry loooong tiiiiime. Coming soon though! Still enjoying our fan!!