Five on Friday

Thankfully the week went fast and it's that time again....

1) It's a long weekend!  I can't believe that it is Labor Day but love that it is here.  We have plans to go to Adventureland on Monday which the closest thing Iowa has to Disney, Six Flags, or Universal- and it's not close to any of those but it works for a thirteen month old.  It has a couple of rides that Grant can do by himself and we will visit their waterpark.  He has grown up so much since his first time last year...

2) Buried treasure....I was looking for something in that box your parents drop at your door when you get a house - you know the one(s) right?  I had put them in the basement and when I was looking I found this....

It was in a card for my first Easter, this message and the fact my dad actually signed this one himself made it very special.  We lost him 10 years ago and I realize that I don't have much that is in his own handwriting. 

3) Esty and early Christmas shopping.  I shopped on Esty for the first time (loved it) and purchased Grants first Christmas present- a personalized wooden puzzle with his first and middle name.  It should be here in two weeks and it will be super hard not to give it to him right away....Must. Be. Strong.

4)  Laughing at your little one. It is super hard to keep a straight face when trying to discipline a 13 month old when what there are doing is hilarious, yes my kid ate some dirt out of a houseplant and was caught playing with his bath toy the toilet.  Purchasing more baby proofing items next time I visit the store hit the top of my to-do list.  

5) After being in my new office for three months, I found out on Wednesday that the 2nd floor has vending machines.  Yeah, I obviously didn't get a tour of the building just my corner of the sixth floor.  When I asked for more information, my co-worker then said "but you know about the gym on the 3rd floor right?"  No I did not. Within 40 minutes, I had a key to the free workout room and I get to try it out over lunch today!

Simple Chicken Salad-4 ingredients

I made this recipe for Grant’s first birthday party and since then four people already asked for the recipe via text message days after the party.  It is simple, delicious, and tastes great as a dip or sandwich filling!  The best part is you can honestly make a great low fat version too!

 

You will need:

 

Shredded or canned chicken

Knorr dry vegetable soup mix

Cream cheese

Sour cream or Greek yogurt

 

 

I had this chicken salad as a dip for one of our many work food days a couple of years ago.  My co-worker Kim brought it in as a dip and verbally told me the recipe back then.  I had made it a couple times right away and not since then so I wondered through the store thinking of what and how much she said before grabbing the above and leaving.   Here is what I used:

 

Canned chicken in water- 2 big cans and a little can (the big cans are 10-14oz while the little ones are 4-6oz) (can use tuna as well or 4 cups of shredded cooked chicken)

One packet of the Knorr brand dry vegetable soup mix

One block of 8oz cream cheese           (regular, light, no fat)

One plain Greek yogurt                       (or 1 cup sour cream)

 

Mix the yogurt and soup mix first, adding the softened cheese cream, and lightly drained chicken.  Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.  If you don’t have the four hours, that is fine but note the dry veggies in the soup mix may not be completely softened.

 

Favorites things to do with this: eat it with plain pita chips, a toasted croissant, or stuffed in a fresh tomato.  Enjoy and I hope I did Kim’s recipe justice!

Holland 

Why I have an Emergency baby kit in my car

Before I had kids, there was an incident that has taught me to forever place a “just in case” kiddo emergency stash in my car. 

 

The first weekend of August there is 100 miles of garage sales along Highway 141 in Iowa.  My house is the prime site for this event and for the past six years a group of people haul stuff over and we sell.  A few years back, two friends came over and one had a five week baby boy.  We celebrated the end of the sales one night by going out to dinner.  All of us got in one car and headed the 20 miles to the restaurant; half way there the new momma noticed she didn’t have the diaper bag.  “It will be fine, no need to turn around now” would later be regretted.  We settled into Red Lobster, ordered our food, and finally was relaxing when we noticed the smell.    As the waitress came with the salads, two friends headed into the bathroom to find out what was going on with the baby. 

 

The one’s husband and I ate our salads before we saw them again, just as the meal came the driver came and retrieved her keys.  It was about fifteen minutes before we saw them come out of the bathroom, naked baby wrapped in a spare Iowa State t-shirt that thankfully was in the trunk.  We asked for our food to-go and paid the bill.

 

The poor thing had a major blow out, diaper-clothes-car seat.  Although I wasn’t in that bathroom, I laugh out loud of the thought of seeing the two nearly hosing down the infant with wet paper towels and making due with a t-shirt.  As parents, we have to make do sometimes!

 

For that reason, when I was packing all the bags in preparation for Grant, the car got one too.  In a small bag there is the following:

 

·         A onesie (a sizes too big so you don’t have to change it very often)

·         Three diapers (they were the bigger size in the beginning but now we carrying what we are in)

·         A sample size of wipes or small pack of Kleenex wipes

·         A pacifier, not the favorite but he would take it if the other option was to be without

·         Two instant formula sticks (individual pack that makes a 4oz bottle-upgraded now to the toddle kind)

·         An empty bottle or Sippy cup (my emergency car kit has a couple things of water)

·         A pair of footie pjs (a size to big)

·         Sample size lotion, diaper cream, and hand sanitizer

·         Bib (disposable works great for this)

·         Socks

·         Small blanket

·         Breast pads and sample nipple cream, if nursing

 

Add-ons for age:

·         A snack:    Mum-Mums and single pack Ella Kitchen’s Cookie

·         A toy/book

·         Cheap tennis shoes (for when they have on sandals and have an activity that needs closed toe)

·         Teething tablets

 

We have used this so much!  It sits in the back of the hatch right above the spare tire.  The hubby loves that it is there and doesn’t have to worry about if the diaper bag is reloaded if he wants to run an errand with Grant.  It has saved us in church when the just nursed baby was extra hungry and the diaper bag didn’t have a bottle nipple or when a major diaper incident ran your wipes container dry.   

 

The garage hook also has a ziplock with three diapers, Kleenex wipes, toddler juice box, and a prepackaged snack for anyone taking Grant out and about for short time (daddy’s car/work truck, a wagon ride, getting picked up by Nana from daycare, eating at the neighbors, etc…)

 

Hope this prevents at least one "Red Lobster" type incident out there! 

 

Here is a photo of my hubby napping with that five week old baby boy-way back when...

 

 

 

Baby This Verses That: Infant Upright seat- Bumbo verses Summer Infant 3 Stage Super Seat

I find myself getting several different types of the same baby product to see what works for us.  I use the “Baby This Verses That” blog title to share what products I have personal experience with and the details on each.  There are no sponsored products in any of my posts unless noted. 

I received both the Bumbo Infant seat (pre-safety recall and seat belt requirement) and the Summer Infant 3 Stage Super Seat.  We used them both but Grant loved one way longer than the other.

Bumbo chair: Cost $40 and the tray is $15 extra.  It comes in many cute colors and now even has fabric covers.  The seat held my little one upright and we started using it around 8 weeks.  Grant would sit on the counter next to me while I chopped up something for dinner (and was never left unattended).  Sorry to say we used the tray once or twice, it was very hard to get on and off since the top fits onto the part between the legs and the button then snaps  under the front of the seat after the child is already in it.  When Grant would want out, it was more difficult to remove while I was being screamed at.  At six months right when we started food everyday, Grant would not sit still in it unless there was a spoonful going in his mouth.  After I saw him wiggle his way nearly out of it, it was retired. The bumbo with a blanket over the top made a great photo prop for the first couple of months to get a different angle than lying down.  It was good to use in the rotation of baby entertainers for those 4 months but my other seat was the clear winner at our house. 

Summer Infant 3 Stage Super Seat: $40-$50. I had never seen this seat, nor did I register for it.  It is one of the best "surprises" I received as a baby gift from the hubby's aunt and cousin.  I have recommended this seat to all the new mommies in my life.  This seat is very multi-purpose, it is like a bumbo, play chair, highchair, and boaster chair in one.  There is now a girl themed one with purple that is adorable too!  The seat comes with a base that you strap to a chair and has a seat belt that becomes a boaster.  There is an insert (bright orange in our version) that is a soft and flexible.  It is like a bumbo to cradle a younger infant and is easily removed once the more room is needed.  Since we have taken this liner out, I loaned it to our neighbor to use in the bath to help her little one sit upright.  The insert does not go up as far between the legs that gives bigger babies more room for their cute cubby thighs unlike the bumbo.  

The third part of the seat is the 360 tray with four toys and a empty flat section with two removable cups for snacks.  The tray slides all the way around, removes easy, and the food tray piece slides on and off.  The two taller toys allowed me to connect them with links for more things to play with. 

We had a lot of good times in this seat as you can see below.  The seat is still being used at 13 months and I would highly suggest this for the grandparents house to use instead of buying multiple items. 


The Summer Infant Seat is our clear winner even though Grant is cute in both!

 

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

I love pasta and my husband thinks the traditional “red sauce” is to plain.  I have yet to find a store brought Alfredo sauce that I like and before this recipe an easy one that didn’t involve cream soup bases.  My sister Chrystal had me make this for a family get together and everyone loved it!  It is super easy and doesn’t turn into a separated mess upon re-heating like my Olive Garden favorite, which I still gladly eat it!

 

What to buy:

 

1 tbs butter

1 pack cream cheese (soften melts quicker, I put mine on the counter 30-45 minutes before I need it)

1 bag shredded parmesan cheese (6-8oz depending on store and personal preference)

Pint of half and half

¼ tsp ground white pepper

1tsp garlic powder

1tbs parsley

 

Combine in sauce pan.  Cook over med heat and stir constantly to prevent burning. 

 

The ingredients will melt together and thicken.  Serve over pasta.

 

Extras to add:    Shrimp, chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, grilled veggies, cayenne pepper, bacon-the possibilities are endless!

 

Leftovers idea (should you have any):    The sauce thickens and  is spreadable like mayo.   I haven’t tried it, no leftovers here but I think it would be great on a grilled sandwich as a spread!  Like a Roasted pepper and eggplant panini with an alfredo spread or a plain grilled ham and cheese with the sauce as the cheese.  Yummy!  I will update you all when I try this but I am sure hungry for it now!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

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Here is some cuteness to look forward too:

Five on Friday

I started yesterday thinking it was Wednesday but to my surprise it was Thursday, meaning today is FRIDAY!  Super excited for a stay around home for the weekend.

I am making the Five on Friday a weekly thing and linking up with the girls. Here are my five:

1)  Learning something new:  last week while checking out some of my fellow "Five on Friday"-ers posts'.  One mentioned that she researched and found out how to make her blog her own and get away from the normal blog templates.  I did some googleing and spend a couple hours cursing at my computer but I love the results.  I was able to do some formatting, a background change, the intro photo with name, and a personalized about me section with a bigger photo.  I think it has turned out pretty nice! 

2) Where's the beef...I will tell you, in my freezer!  We purchased a half of a beef (800 lbs. ~450 lbs net) from a farmer who helps his grandson raise 4-H show cows and it is a win-win.  We support a local farmer, butcher, 4-H projects for a young teen, get great grass feed/shot free meat at a great price.  I don't know if we would have room for anything else in our freezers!  We have over 80lbs of ground beef, please feel free to point me in the direction of your favorite recipes to use some of that up.  It was just over $1000 which hit the checkbook hard but my trips to the store won't include any beef purchases.

3) Grant and I signed up for the next class of water babies at the YMCA.  It was $35 for five forty minute sessions and I am super excited to start the Wednesday after Labor Day.  I have been looking for some fun things to do with Grant and bonus the hubby can join in for free too!

4)  I am excited for fall but so sad that the summer activities are coming to a close.  The waterpark and local pools are shutting down, schools are starting, and this Sunday we are going to one of the last Iowa Cubs baseball games.  I haven't even made it to a farmer's market yet this summer.  I need to (quickly) fit in some of the last summer activities before diving into fall.

No more of this...

5) Restaurant week in Des Moines!  If you have never heard of Restaurant week here is the scoop, major cities host an extended week event  offering great prices on pre-fix three course meals (some have lunch specials too.) In Des Moines, the meals are $25 per person and you get a starter, main course, and a dessert.  I let my hubby know yesterday he is taking me to Fleming's Steakhouse tonight at 6:15.  I thought about getting a sitter (aka hoping nana was available) to watch Grant but the lady taking the reservation said kids are fine.  We have only been to Fleming's once-for our first wedding anniversary and spend $130 for two steaks, a side of mashed potatoes, one beer, and a tomato salad.  I am super excited for our little family date night in 11ish hours without the huge price tag.  If it is no much food, its early enough to stop for Frozen Yogurt before the little one gets to crabby.

BONUS:  Through the five on Friday link up, my page has officially over 1,000 views-for a small time blogger like me, I am tickled!  It's now over1200 but I saw it right at 1,000!

Have a great day everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Holland

Grant's To Do Before He's Two List

This idea was from http://dearbabyowen.blogspot.com  Owen’s mommy made a Bucket List for things“to do’s before he’s two,” it was so cute I had to join in!

 

Establish a love for books (carrying them around and empting them from the bookshelf anyway…

Went tent camping-3 rainy/stormy nights

      Eat a  piece of  smash cake (or two…)

      Sleep through the night

      Spend quality time with the Grands      

      Meet the family

      Go to the Iowa State Fair

Meet Santa and the Easter bunny

      Give kisses

      Sat through a parade

 

To Do’s before He’s Two

 

1. Visit Aunt Chrystal in Seattle

2. Ride on an airplane (why I’m still free)

3. Go to the Zoo

4. Run around with the boy next door who is five months younger

5. Learn to kick a ball

6. Say bye-bye to the plug

7. Be in a wedding/officially gain an Uncle

8. Build a snowman

9. Experience Thanksgiving and Christmas without being sick

10. Ride on a big tractor with Grandpa or Daddy

11. Eat an ice cream cone

12. See Fireworks

13. Learn to eat from a plate without throwing it or tipping it over

14. Trick or treat with falling asleep

15. Cook holiday treats with momma

 

Well, that is a start!  Anyone else got any big ideas?!  Thanks again for the idea Emily @DearOwen!

 

 

Baby This Verses That: Finger nail clippers

 I find myself getting several different types of the same baby product to see what works for us.  I use the “Baby This Verses That” blog title to share what products I have personal experience with and the details on each.  There are no sponsored products in any of my posts unless noted. 

 

I hate cutting a baby’s nails;  I used to cut Grant’s while he nursed but that no longer works. So one thing that can make the biggest difference is having the right nail clippers.  I have owned three types of baby nail clippers but one was returned and one was banished to the emergency kit in the car. 

 

The products I have are by Safety 1st, Sassy, and Graco. 

 

The Safety 1st Nail Clippers $2.99-$3.99 (and often part of a set as well):  Our favorite, by far!  This thick soft handled design allows for better grip and less fumbling when your hand gets shooed away.  The lever end is coated in the same soft plastic which makes it easier to push down on to clip and folds into the handle where my one year can’t open it back up.  With the other clippers, the handle would not sit as flat and I would have a minor freak out if Grant tried to use it as a toy.  With these clippers, they cut easily and should Grant get a hold of them (when they are closed) I don’t make a seen by grabbing them from him since he can’t be hurt.  I have two different models, one has a slit in the back side opposite the blade to inset a mini nail file and the other one does not-either version is great.  I found the clipper/filer version on the clearance rack once for a $1.25 a pair and I may have purchased six of them.  I have two open at our house and have already passed on two for baby gifts.

 

Sassy’s Lady Bug infant clippers $3.99:  I purchased these for the cuteness factor and it backfired.  The head of the lady bug shield the clipper so you don’t cut too deep but I found it to be a pain.  The plastic lady bug case over the clippers wasn’t molded correctly and the top and bottom piece were coming apart at the seam.  When I tried to cut his nails the plastic would click and I couldn’t get near his nails.  After calling the company, they said a lot of people couldn’t figure out how to use the product but normally there wasn’t anything wrong with it.  I explained at minimum the molding should not be coming apart and I was offered a mailing label to send back the product.  I was able to use the credit to purchase another Sassy item and the customer service was great, just not the nail clippers for us!

 

Graco’s goldfish nail clippers (part of their Zoo themed grooming kits)$12.99-$20:  Again, I registered for the Zoo Baby Care Kit and this was a product that was in it.  The plastic gold fish end does not interfere with the clipping motion unlike Sassy’s Lady Bug clippers.  The metal is exposed on the end and the clippers do the job while you have a still finger, should that ever happen.  I can clip Grant’s nail with these but it seems to be more of a struggle.  The metal push down lever is thin and short.  This makes it hard to line everything up just right before any movement happens.  I find myself to pushing hard enough the first time and having to make a second cut.  I have since put these in the car’s emergency diaper kit so if it is needed for a hang nail on the road, it will be used but it will never be the one I use to trim up all 10 little moving fingernails ever again. 

Hand Sent Love

I try to make things that I send out special having everyone in the family involved.  I still think there is nothing better than getting old fashioned cards and letters in the mail.  I make Greg sign the cards and have always had Grant sign them too!  I stamp every Christmas card, birthday card, and thank you with his foot print using a safe ink pad.  It has been surprising easy to do at every age, as a baby he didn’t move much but now I let him stand up and control where his foot is put down.  I think it is such a cute touch to the card, especially to those that live so far away.   One tip- buy enough cards for the next month or two so you can do multiple at once! 

Five on Friday

It is Friday!  It's early but it is Friday, anyone else have a long week?  I have- it seems to be harder when the hubs has several late home days in a row and its just me with a teething one year old in the evening.  Fridays around here means "FIVE ON FRIDAY" with about 260 other bloggers out there (last week's number was 264)!  It has expanded my reading list ten fold and I can't wait to discover more of your blogs out there.
 
Here is my five on Friday:
 
One:    The last of the Grant's 1st birthday at home photos have been uploaded and the year is officially over since next week I won't have a 12 month old anymore ...I have 40 variations of this at home cake smashing session photo but here are my favorites:

 
 
Two:   Vacation planning is in the air!  My sister Chrystal purchased a house next to her Naval base on Whidbey Island, WA!  It's about 1.5 hours north of Seattle and she will be back from deployment the beginning of September!!  She has only seen Grant twice at 2 months and 7 months so it will be a blast to go to her.  This will be Grant's first plane ride and our first time packing an extra around on vacation.  Any tips or travel must haves for a one year old are welcome and very much needed!
 
Three:   Buy, Buy, Baby.  It's a store that is related to Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  It opened a year ago in Des Moines and I am hooked.  The aren't everywhere but they are online.  What I love about this store is that they take Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons and gift cards (hello, $140 left from our wedding) AND competitors coupons and ad matches.  They discount items like Bed, Bath, and Beyond does too!  I got an Aden and Anais changing pad cover for $4 since it had a smudge on it (which came off at home with a wash cloth!)  They sell baby food and lots of organic choices too.  Here is my secret.  You need to go the first week or two of the month when they discount all of the expiring next month food by 50% or more.  I once got 14 packs of Mum-Mums for $17!  We had two months to use them and gave some to daycare too.  This week I got organic crackers and puffs that expire Sept 28th and 30th; Grant will have them long gone by then.
 

Four:    I took the plunge and ordered some hair ties that claim "No Dents or Damage to Hair."  I debated for a while whether $12 for six hair ties would be worth it.  Since the hot weather is here, I get annoyed when I spend the time to have my hair down but need to pull it back for a bit but the hair band ruins your hair style to put it back down.  I have used these TwistBands several times now and I love them.  I got the six pack with the pink, silver, navy, black/white stripes, white w/grey dots, and one with anchors (to send to my sister in the Navy.)   They work great when I have my hair down and Grant wants carried- he is a big hair puller at this point and putting these ties in my hair for a bit doesn't leave a big dent.   They have a three pack for $6 and some headbands too.  You can find them at thetwistband.comand I would definitely purchase them again. 

 

Five:     Moving out the baby stuff. . .I spent three hours in Grant's room organizing, rotating clothes, and putting away some of the baby items.  I had most of his smaller clothes in various sized diaper boxes but I have moved them into space saver vacuum bags.  I was able to put five boxes into two vacuum bags and separated them into two categories.  One bag contained all of the baby boy items while the other had all the unisex, holiday, and Iowa Hawkeye clothes.  When Grant gets someone to lone his clothes too whether its a boy or a girl (I am thinking boy or girl cousin at this point), we will be ready!

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Holland

Yummy Freezer Corn

I live in the Midwest and summer time here means Sweet Corn.  On the cob, off the cob, roasted, grilled, boiled, whatever-just lots of it.  You can nearly get sick of it but you have to remember it is not available all the time.  This recipe allows you to freeze your own sweet corn whether from your garden, farmers market, or the produce aisle. 

 

Little fun fact:  corn is grow in every one of the 50 states in the USA.  So it can be found all over and with different growing seasons, you may be able to get corn on the cob fresh all year.  We are spoiled in Iowa, it is just so good here that buying it from the store in mid-February would get me called crazy by my husband.   This is how you can savor sweet corn off the cob all winter!

 

This recipe was adapted from a 1997 church cookbook from Westphalia, Iowa.  There are so many variations just in the one cookbook that I read them all, got the basic steps down, and went to town on the two sacks of sweet corn my mother in law dropped off a couple days before. 

 

Special note before getting started:  don’t buy a ton if you don’t have time to do this within a couple of days and make sure the corn goes in the fridge. (Moldy sweet corn isn’t the smell to open your garage too!)

 

My husband and I boiled, cut, and bagged approximate 40 ears of corn into six bags with 3 cups each (15 oz).   We may have snacked a little a lot along the way as well.  This took us about an hour but thankfully my mother in law delivered us shucked ears of corn!!!

 

Gather supplies:

 

Sweet corn, shucked, and rinsed-as little or as much as you would like

Large quart pot  filled 2/3 full with water

1/4 to  1/3   cup sugar (I used two pans to work quicker with ¼ cup sugar each but feel free to adjust to your needs but I wouldn’t omit)

1 tablespoon sea salt

 

Bring the water to the boil, adding the sugar and salt, and stir until dissolved

 

Fill the pot with sweet corn and boil for 8 minutes and remove (the corn may be slightly undercooked but it is fine, it will cook fully when reheated)

 

**Save water to boil any cobs that didn’t go in the pan the first time, repeat until all cobs are boiled

 

Allow the corn to cool

 

With a knife or a corn removing tool (thanks Pampered Chef!) remove the corn kernels as close to the cob as possible into a bowl or pan

 

Allow kernels to cool completely

 

Measure desired amount into freezer bags and repeat until corn is gone (I selected three cups per bag which  was approximate 5-6 ears for my family of three and  it turned out weigh the same ounces as a single can of corn package with water.)

 

Level each closed bag and freeze on a flat surface or cookie sheet to conserve freezer space.

 

Enjoy sweet corn all year long (or until the bags run out!)

 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Holland 

Crafty: outdoor name stone

My sister will celebrate her wedding shower this Saturday and I wanted to make something for her.  I saw this perfect river cobblestone at the local greenhouse and decided I would personalize it for their home with her upcoming married last name.  This is easy and pretty inexpensive...don't worry sis, I have something else too since I just told the world this gift is cheap...

What you will need:

A rock with a pretty flat surface for painting

A stencil if you what assistance with the letters (no shame here, I proudly used a stencil!)

A pencil to outline your lines in advance (I found it erases well and isn't noticeable)

Craft paint for outdoor use

Fine point paint brushes (I have a $7 ten piece nylon set that I have been using for years...until half of them "ran away" today in my little's hands)

A couple years back, I found a rock in my back yard that I hit every time I mowed. I dug it up and made one if these for my front stoop.  It sits right up next to the house so I didn't put anything on it other than the paint. I just touched up the paint these past spring and it still looks great.

To get started:

Wash the rock and allow to dry

Stencil your design, letters, name, sports logo, whatever in pencil on the flattest side of the rock

Fill in the pencil outlines with paint and allow to dry

Depending on the location where you want to place the stone, you may want to consider the option of adding a sealer

Well, we will see if she finds this post before next Saturday...here are my final pictures:

Five on Friday

Like many people out there I am once again linking up for the Five on Friday with some awesome host bloggers ….  Here are my five on Friday:

One.

Down time- I LOVE having company and I LOVE my downtime after they leave!  Sunday at five o’clock was when my Thursday company left and with the husband playing golf, the kiddo and I napped until 7pm.  The entire mess (which wasn’t bad, I have good company…) was left for another day as I sat on the couch without doing anything-no TV, Facebook, candy crushing, Pinterest, or blogging.  It was so nice.  You can imagine from shots of this one minute clip I took what some of the weekend with like with five adults and four littles…mine are the big kid (aka hubby) wrestling the kids on the floor and the little guy trying to wear the Wii remote/numchuck combo as a necklace.  For some reason the little girl was just rolling around on a big pillow and one of the boys actually was in Grant's toy box...hilarious to watch.  Wish I knew how to do the video option! 

Two.

The Iowa State Fair!  For ten days in August Iowa welcomes over one million visitors for the fair.  It is great people watching let me tell you.  I am going on Saturday with the family including Grant’s nana, aunt, and uncle.  Food on a stick and fried food here we come!  I am super excited that Grant will be able to enjoy it this year.  Here are some photos from last year when Grant was just about three weeks old. 

Three.

Teething Remedies.  Grant has been crabby lately and I noticed that  he has gotten three new teeth with a possibility of # 4 and 5 soon.  Grant teethes in multiples 1 &2, 3/4/5/6/7, and now 8/9/10- we are talking all popping through in days.  Ouch!  Grant does not like those tethers or mesh feeders with frozen food but I have found three things that work great for us:  Hylands Teething Tablets, First Years John Deere Massaging Corn Tether, andCamilia Teething Relief.  The tablets were a recommendation and work great but I see nearly immediate results with the Camilia Teething Relief.  Camilia is a liquid that can be purchased in single use doses for on the go.  We found them in our monthly baby box subscription from Stork Stack and love them!  They must taste good because Grant will open for it mid-cry.  The vibrating tether was too cute to pass up (being shaped like an ear of corn-I live in Iowa…) and the gummy yellow corn ear vibrates when he bites down.  It is distracting and surprising quiet for my one year old.

Links for all three below:

http://www.amazon.com/Boiron-Camilia-Teething-Relief/dp/B00016QTPS

http://www.amazon.com/The-First-Years-Massaging-Teether/dp/B0013FCBJO/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1375901432&sr=1-1&keywords=john+deer+vibrating+teether

http://www.amazon.com/Hylands-Homeopathic-Teething-Symptomatic-Children/dp/B005F0CQ9I/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1375901484&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=hiland+teething+tablets

Four.

Grilling season.  My husband told me if I have it ready to go on the grill, he will cook it!  I love those words, not having to do much for dinner- yay!  I would seriously made every meal on there if I could but we are loving grilling veggies right now.  Last year we grilled meat and the occasional potato but we made an investment of a grill pan for veggies and fruit.  He is out there anyway, why not give him the whole meal….

Our favorite is chunks of yellow pepper, red pepper, snap peas, onion, and green beans with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.  One quick note: toss in the oil on or next to the grill, if your grill pan is like mine putting oil on in the house just leaves a trail of oil dips out to the grill.

Five.

W.  I just noticed that the next book in the Sue Grafton’s mystery series “W is for Wasted” comes out September 3^rd!  If you haven’t heard of Sue Grafton’s alphabet series, you must look it up.  There are plenty of books to catch up on as she is three letters from finishing.  I have been waiting on the releases since the letter “S” and now am just debating whether to buy in print or on my Kindle…Time is short these days with a little one running around but I will make time for this!

Thanks for stopping by,

Holland

Baby product this verses that: Baby Aspirator

I guess in this case it is this verses that, that, or that.  Nasal aspirator addition.

I thought my kid was going to be perfectly healthy all the time since nothing happened his first sixteen weeks then came daycare.  I swear the first day he came home with a cold and runny nose.  This cold lasted mostly on but a few days off from November to March.  We tried several different kind of nasal aspirators to help my little one breathe but all we would get was one shot and/or instant crying fit just by seeing the aspirators.  

I googled and read many different solutions, with six nights in a row of sleeplessly sleeping on the nursery floor I broke down and got the thing I laughed at two weeks pre-baby.  The Nosefrida snotsucker.  Gross, right?! Nope-best 15 bucks I spent in the month of January and we started the month on a cruise ship!

Here is what you do- put the pen like thing by the kid's nose, place the connected tube in your mouth, and stuck in.  Don't worry, the pen and tube are long with a small filter in between just in case.  Snap apart, wash, and dry along side the bottles. 

Being a parent or anyone frequently around kids knows, gross things happen.  I can't imagine what the rest of winter would have looked like if I just got the Nosefrida sooner.  You can see the results, again gross but every time Grant would be able to breathe afterwards and sleep. It is so worth it. It will be in my baby basket of gifts to the new mommies in my life.  

Below are the four that we have (three of which we no longer use):

1: Nosefrida- favorite would spend double to get it again.

2: First years- this one is partly clear which shows you the results and allows me to see if it is clean

3: hospital generic give away-I couldn't tell if I got anything besides what was attached via a string upon removal or if it was clean.  Part of me thought that it was too long and maybe it just plain hurt him.

4: Graco's zoo baby care pack elephant nasal aspirator- I registered for this, the whole pack was cute with the fish fingernail clippers, hippo comb, and whale medicine dispenser.  Not worth it, any of it-some of which my be included as my bottom picks for other item comparisons too.  In regards to the elephant aspirator, it curved and was cute.  The bottom opened for a cleaning a plus until you squeezed it too much or too quickly the cap would open.  What a mess, not like a could do another sneak attack with a malfunction like that!

Thanks for stopping by, 

Holland