breaking up is hard to do.

Everyone reads Cjane, right?  Do you watch her vlogs?  Well, if you happened to miss this one, go watch it, because it is really what got me thinking.

Not to long after that I ran into another post from "The Motherboard"...and I stored that bit of goodness in my brain.

Along came yesterday when Kamie posted, and by the end of the night...I decided to delete my Facebook.

gasp.

The truth is I am addicted to Facebook.  I check it more than I like to admit.  I spend hours on end reading, commenting, and looking at pictures.  I don't have the self control to not look so instead of taking a break, I had to delete it.

Even though I am addicted, it is definitely a love/hate relationship. I spend more than half the time hating it, and the small percentage loving it.

I love the BIG announcements of babies, engagements, and what not.

I hate the constant complaining.  I do this too.

I love asking all my questions, and hearing what everyone has to say.

I hate that it is all about how many friends you have.  I am a quality not quantity kinda of person.

I love that my friends are funny, quirky, and make me laugh.

I hate the way Facebook makes me feel, and that my friends...is why I had to delete it.

I look at this as a new trend...like when every went private on their blogs, and I didn't.  I won't have a Facebook, and everyone else will.

whoa, now that I got that off my chest...let's get back to blogging...shall we!

post edit:  I kinda want copy Kamie and to a "Facebook Friday"...ya know tell me what happened in Facebook world that I missed.  I wish I would have come up with the idea, because it is cool!

  

zumba.

Ever wanted to try Zumba. Here is your chance for FREE. Added bonus, you get to do it with me. Oh, and see my money maker shake all over the place! Come, dance, laugh at me...please!

This is why Blogger hates me!!

This is how I want my post to look... This is how it is posting it...

I tried to edit the HTML, and put the "break" code so that there is space between paragraphs...and it won't work. Grr. I really want to blog, I have a lot to say.

What is your favorite meal to make at home?

Kamie asked me this question... She has seen my cooking skillz, or lack of. I thought it was funny that she would ask me, because I am sure she is just wondering if I even know how to use the appliances in my kitchen. :) Love ya girl. ... Our family favorite is my version of Navajo Tacos. I don't know if you can really consider it cooking...but we all love it. If you want the best of the best you need to go to the Navajo Hogan. Mmmm. My version could never beat that, but when the craving comes calling...this does the job. I buy Rhodes Rolls. Let them thaw out or I just microwave them for a minute. Stretch them. Fry them. Then I buy NO bean chili, because I like it better. Warm that, and put all of your normal toppings on.,

Lettuce

Tomato

Green onion or just plain onion

Cheese

Sour Cream

That is all. Easy, right? Like I said, I am not sure it can be considered cooking...but it is definitely my go-to meal

I HATE BLOGGER.

THAT IS ALL. soooo annoyed by the way my posts are looking. HELP.

What is your favorite mini getaway?

Aubrey asked this question, and said her mini getaway was driving alone in her car, anywhere, with the music screaming loud. :) A woman after my heart indeed.

Here is my response...

Being a working Mom I have a "getaway" every day I go to work. It is not my favorite, but it does make me come home ready to be a better Mommy and Wife again.

Grocery shopping without children is like heaven on earth.

A uninterrupted shower every day would be a dream come true...on the rare occasion it does happen, I do a happy dance while in the shower.

All these things are great, but my favorite would definitely be the tradition Paul and I started after Vin was born. We put the kids to bed early on Saturday night, order take out, rent a movie, and veg. Yes, a night on the town would be pleasant and possibly more lovely...but we don't leave our babies very often, or ever. :) Although it isn't necessarily a "getaway"...I love me some alone time with Paul, even if it is just in our loft!

and blogger hates me, and is double spacing everything...grrrr.

she had a birthday...shout hooray.

A day late, and a dollar short...or something like that.

Vin and Van are still recovering from RSV, ear infections, and the general lack of sleep that has been happening up in here (said like a gangsta)! I did something to my back two days ago, and it about has done me in.

I wanted to post a little something for my Sista for her birthday, and I chose sleep over the post. Do you blame me? I am sure she won't notice when this is posted, except I just got off the phone with her and I told her I was doing it. That is how I roll.

So, Happy Birthday Emilie. I will be joining you in the 30's in a couple of weeks, and honestly you make it look fun...so what the heck.Oh, and here is the picture I was telling you about...See. Exact. Same. Chin. Who does this come from?

Loves.

All pictures were taken when Vin and I ventured to Seattle a month ago.

I am doing the question answer series, if you wanna ask a question or two.

more or less.

I have been in a blogging slump. Everything I write, I think is lame...or I think is the same ol'.

Remember when we did our question series?

I wanna do that again. I thought it was fun.

Did you?

Well, ready or not here we go again.

This was the original post.

I have this habit of over sharing. It embarrasses Paul, and people at work most of the time just laugh at me. I sometimes wonder why I don't have a problem telling my boss that I accidentally peed my pants while I threw up the other day, or that I...see I am over sharing again. =)
So, I got to thinking, what do people wonder about me? Do I share enough that I am not in the least bit mysterious? Have you ever had a question about me that hasn't been answered?
Now is your chance...what do you really want to know about me? I will answer everything, no joke. I will answer every question that is in this comment section in a post. Depending on what you ask, I guess some might not require a whole post. We shall see.

1...2...3...ask!

The only thing I was thinking...we already went over the reasons why I don't talk to my parents. So, could we not revisit that? Mucho appreciated. If you wanna know you can go to all the many posts I wrote after that question was asked by one of my lovely anonymous people.

celebrate.

Last week Paul and I woke up and both had the same idea, and said "eh, let's celebrate Vin's birthday today!" I like to think of it as inspiration since Vin ended up with RSV, and we weren't able to celebrate much.

(This isn't took shocking if you know us, because this is how we do any holiday.

I threw cupcakes in the oven, went to the store and picked up presents...and we celebrated.

I knew Vin would demolish his cupcake, and that he did! Our boy likes to eat. When we started to sing to him, he was all smiles and soo happy to be the center of attention.

We went to All Star Lanes, and let him push all the buttons on the games.

We played with his new favorite toy. Best money spent. The tent...we could have saved our money on that (maybe he'll grow to like it more).It was a perfect day...just the 4 of us!

AND go by your favorite baby that toy...I am tellin' you...sooooo cool!

you are never fully dressed without a smile.

Every Monday I have been taking pictures of myself. I wear the same shirt so I can tell progress in my weight...I am hoping one of these weeks I will be able to tell. Ya know since I threw my scale away, I don't really know if I have lost any weight. For me this weight loss thing is not getting to a certain number, it is looking good and feeling comfortable. If I find that comfort at 175...so be it.

Last week I took a bunch of pictures of me before getting "ready" and after getting "ready" for the day.

I noticed something.

I look skinnier, happier, and way HOTTER...when I actually smile and get ready. =)

My goal for this week (besides still working out and eating better) is to put contacts in, wear make up, and maybe do something to my hair other than a pony tail.

Most of you probably already get ready for the day. A lot of days I have Vin holding on to my legs while I blow dry my hair, and it becomes a challenge to take the extra minutes for the little things...

Maybe one of these Monday's I will post some before and after pictures, I am not feeling brave enough today.

Instead I post a picture of my BFF and myself at her reception on Saturday...

Notice I am not wearing a pony tail or a bun!! Woohoo! =)

losing faith.

I don't really talk about religion on my blog. It is a part of my life, but it is a part of my life I have chosen not to really share...which is just a totally different topic all together.

Before sharing anything, I believe in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

This doesn't mean that I don't struggle, and lately it is a lot.

Usually I can pin point exactly why. This time...not so much.

I know it is hard to go to church because Vin is a crazy man. Either Paul or I end up in the hallway for all three hours. All I can think of while I walk up and down the hallway is how much I am not learning, and how much I could be accomplishing if I were home.

I use to be in charge of teaching the 5-6 year olds. Although I felt like I learned something from teaching them...even if it was just patience...I was going every week. Well, now the only people in the neighborhood I know are the 5-6 year olds.

I definitely don't put myself out there enough for people to really get to know me in the ward (hi neighbors), but after years of teaching the little kids...I am SO out of the loop. Where do I even begin?

I could go to Relief Society activities if they weren't week nights when I would be working until 10 PM. Gah.

Okay...so...whatever religion you are...I need advice. Please.

How am I gonna fix this?

Our Boy is 1.

One year.
One whole year!
One whole year since Devin came into this world, and our Party of 3 became 4.

Leading up to his delivery I thought I wasn't going to make it, and now it has been a darn year!

Boggles my mind.

It is always amazing to me that in one single day your world can change completely, and March 19th, 2010 will be one of those days.

There is nothing like having a "fresh one" in the house...sweetest feeling ever. As soon as I say that though...there is nothing like hearing your 6 year old push your 1 year old in the laundry basket up and down the hallway...as the 1 year screams and giggles with delight! Every stage is new and fun, and it doesn't matter how many times you have done it! ;)

Devin is my boy...as much as it annoys his Daddy. (I say it is pay back for when Van was a baby and liked him waaay more!)

Devin is our tornado, or as his Uncle Hiram nicknamed him...Devin-ator!

Devin is truly a Sell through and through. He doesn't look at a single thing in the room if he has food in front of him, and eats as quickly as he can...like it is his last meal.

Devin is sensitive like his Mommy...I have a problem passing this trait on. If you tell Devin he is a "Naughty Boy" you would think his world was ending. It is kinda sweet.

Devin is going to conquer the world just like he did the stairs! Determination is in his veins, and nothing is going to stop him.

The funnier things about Devin are his pure love for toilet water, and throwing his bath toys in the toilet. He loves to jump off the bed into open arms, and I am awaiting the day he does this without someone waiting to catch him. He doesn't back down from a good challenge! He loves tossin' the pig skin around, and it is about the only thing he will sit for an extended amount of time for...except eating of course! ;)

Devin is all smiles...unless his big sister is trying to tell him how to do something or taking one of his toys away.

Not to long ago Paul and I were commenting on how it feels like we have always had Devin. Weird how that happens.

I like to call Devin my light at the end of a dark tunnel. I am the first to admit we were a little nervous to have a boy, but he is my boy, and I love him dearly.

Happy Birthday Buddy.

I think you are perfect, and even though you give me a run for my money...you keep us entertained with your busy little self!

I love you from the top of your mohawk down to your chubby toes!

Loves.

Ma Ma Ma Ma

the present not to give a 1 year old.

Vin hasn't been feeling his best. He is doing a lot of this...

and this...

which is not normal.

After we had a rawkin' baby birthday party at our favorite play date spot, McDonalds...

I took Vin to the Dr, because I wanted him 100% for this weekend...

Vin has RSV.

Boo.

P.D.A

Public.Diplay.of.Affection.

When I was sitting at the SeaTac Airport waiting to board there was a couple in there mid 30's waiting with me. I wasn't paying much attention to them until they were making out. I am not talking a little smooch, I am talking the kind of make out session you have in Jr High to get attention from your peers. This couple carried on for oh about 5 minutes. I couldn't help but stare. Maybe I could understand if they were leaving each other, but they merrily hopped on the plane together...I wondered if they joined the Mile High Club on that flight.

So fill me in.

How much is too much? Where do you draw the line?

When do you think it becomes tacky or maybe I am the only one?

Maybe I should have a good make out session in the mall to see what I am missing.

(Hi Paul...I love you! I think you are UUH-MAY-ZING! Smoochy smooch...Von)

wordless wednesday: our good luck charm.

failure.

I can feel it.

There are those people that are just waiting and watching...ready to watch me fail.

It won't happen, not this time.

Maybe it has something to do with hitting rock bottom.

Normally it would make me frustrated, and I would want to give up.

This time is different, it is fueling me.

Every day is a new day.

Every Monday a new week to try harder than the week before.

nerd and proud of it.

I like to sing in the shower, car, and elevator at work.

The car is...okay.

The shower is...eh.

The elevator at work is uh-may-zing!

The acoustics are second to none.

It is true that the night crew at work know Landon and I for our rockin' duets. We sing church hymns sometimes, Dolly Parton, Whitney...ya know...the best of the best! If I haven't belted out a tune all night it is a guarantee that someone will come and ask me if I am okay.

side note: I am also known for making Landon do other crazy things with me.

Okay so the point of this post...well there really isn't one, I guess. I really just wanted to show you my new place for peace and quiet.

I can check blogs, sing, go #2, shower...I did talk about multitasking, and how good at it I am.

This could be the best place on earth.

whoa, that is a random post.

and OMG I am still going to post the picture...even though I have some serious issues with it.

another side note: you should really join the convo's we are having on Facebook.

Happy Weeeeekend friends.

at capacity.

Vin woke up at 4:17 AM.

Van woke up sick, I promptly called the school...sick day!

I put them both in the tub.
Van finds a weird nugget, and hands it to me...
YUP, Vin pooped in the tub.
Van and I both touched it!
Gross out.

I get them both out of the tub.

While getting Vin all ready...he pooped again...!

Oh, and did I mention it isn't even 9 o'clock yet!

Happy Thursday!

post edit: It is now 10:00 AM...Vin pooped again. Van and Vin bonked, Van got a bloody nose, and proceeded to bleed all over her new shirt! Awesome, right?

wordless wednesday: multitasking.

wow.

WOW.

wow.

WoW.

Thank you.

You have no idea how much each and every comment and email meant to me. I love you all mucho.

I hestitated posting that yesterday, because I am deathly afraid of failure...again. I have written about wanting to change, and have never had the motivation to follow through. It is down right embarassing.

This time is different, I promise.

When I was at Zumba on Saturday this song came on, and I kinda got emotional...not gonna lie. So for all my ladies that want to try to lose weight with me...let's do it...this is our moment, today is our day, if we get down - let's get back up.


Never know we might even end up looking better than Shakira! ;)

hitting rock bottom.

If I could say anything to my pre-Van self, I would say this...

"Enjoy that 149 pound self! You look smokin' hott, and those size 12 pants...ain't so bad either!"

(Paul's favorite picture of me)

Two weeks ago, I hit the lowest of lows. It is always depressing to see pictures of yourself, and realize then how out of control your weight actually has gotten. I came home from work, and just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry...and I may have done just that. Good thing Paul was there to say all the right things, even though I didn't believe him, I needed it.

I have felt like a broken record for most of my life, always complaining about my weight...never actually doing anything about it, or falling off the wagon soon after starting the journey.

It took me until the age of 29 to realize...Eating food is a temporary happiness. To say that I have been a little emotional the past two weeks would be an understatement. I think Paul has wanted to just tell me to drink a Coke already (since I haven't had any carbonation in two weeks) and have a big cheeseburger. =) It is like a bad break up, but with food. I broke up with Coke, I broke up with eating late at night, I have broken up with In-n-Out...I feel like I have lost a piece of me. As pathetic as this is sounding, it is true.

Of course I wanted to see my waistline lose inches in days, and it hasn't done that. I always lose weight in all the "wrong" spots...like my wrists, ear lobes, and toes.

I'm joking.

I usually lose in my jaw line first and then my *uhem* boobs...which Paul says he can see a difference already. I wouldn't know if I had actually lost any weight, because one morning this last week I got mad at the scale...and it promptly got thrown away.

(whoa, look at that jaw line...)

I won't give up this time. I won't. I can't.

So as they say on Biggest Loser...The next time you see me blog-o-sphere, I will be 50 pounds lighter!

Iron Chef Baby Food: Vanessa vs. Von

Untitled from Vanessa Brown on Vimeo.

If you have a spare 10 minutes, this video is Vanessa and I battling it out Iron Chef style...see what chef prevails, and what baby Vin thought of our dishes!

I hope that you have all enjoyed this week of guest posts as much as I have.

Thank you to the ladies that were willing to help me out! It was not only nice to have some new visitors, but it was wonderful having some eye opening moments this past week. I will share soon enough, but until then...enjoy the video.

Baby Food Guest Post: Pam Baumeister

Don’t Baby Their Taste buds
By Pam Baumeister

I’m a personal chef.

I have four kids ranging in age from 15 months to nearly 15. Every one of them has their own taste preferences. One hates peanut butter and one eats the middles out of every piece of bread she can get her hands on. Generally, those older girls are expected to eat what I’m making for everyone (or else!). But, the baby, well, she gets the special treatment. I pull out all the stops for her.

Since having my third child I decided not to buy any more baby food in jars. Sure, they’re convenient, but the nutritional value is the same or less than from foods you make yourself. Babies are expensive enough. I reason that they’ll only be little once — why not spend the time guiding them through their culinary discoveries?I’m a purist. I like knowing exactly what is in the food I feed my family. I read labels and I avoid chemicals and processed ingredients. When I start feeding my babies “regular” food, it’s usually after they aren’t satisfied with breast milk alone.

Here are some of the foods I feed the littlest of eaters under nine months:

Rice cereal. Yes, I know. It comes in a box. I use it mostly because it’s easy to mix with breast milk and new eaters can’t really tolerate flavors. I’m so glad I’m not a baby anymore. That stuff tastes…blech.

Veggies. I’ve found the best way to prep them is to steam them. This way, they retain their nutritional value and it’s easy for you to gauge how soft they need to be for little gummers. Try potatoes, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes (the white ones), and butternut squash. Root vegetables are mild and chock full of great vitamins.

Fruit. I’ve found the easiest way to prep hard fruit for little ones (under a year) is to boil it in natural apple juice or filtered water until it’s soft enough to mush in between your fingers.

Hard crackers. Melba toast is just right for babies to chew on and most don’t contain sugar. They’re hard and thin, so if the baby is persistent and drooly, they’ll dissolve the cracker before they grow impatient. The rounds are the perfect size for chubby little hands.

As baby gets older, I make more “gourmet” foods. Here are some my daughter has been eating and loving since age one.

Bananas, plain yogurt, and avocado. This tasty treat has all the good stuff in it. Mash up the banana and avocado separately and stir in plain yogurt. This yogurt is sweet without being too sweet.

Chicken noodle soup. I make it from scratch and throw in carrots, onions, garlic, celery, chicken (breast or thigh meat), and egg noodles in chicken broth. You’ll definitely want to have a good bib for this meal because it’s so wet. Make sure you cook it long enough that the vegetables are soft.

Fried cinnamon apples. I discovered this treat when I decided to stop eating sugar…and it turns out to be one of my baby’s favorites, too. I use one crisp apple, one tablespoon of unsalted butter, a dash of sea salt and cinnamon to taste. Fry it all up on the stove and serve warm. Note: I also add chopped almonds or pecans to mine…but, you can’t give those to babies who don’t have molars.

Bon appetite!

Resource: The Healthy Baby Meal Planner by Annabel Karmel

I’ve found this book to be extremely helpful in what and when to feed babies. There are lots of great recipes in here you’ll find very useful.
Don’t hesitate to use spices in your cooking. If your baby doesn’t like the spices, she’ll let you know. My baby loves to play spices.

Isn't Pam awesome! I sent a message out on Twitter asking for people who would be interested in doing a baby food week, and was completely honored when Pam said that she would do it!

Baby Food Guest Post: Azucar

It’s Bananas

It started with a box of rice cereal. I picked it up at the store because that’s what you’re supposed to pick up when you have a baby. The rice cereal stood on the shelf, gleaming in its plastic wrap with a dozen just like it, in the baby goods section in the middle of the store, far from the produce and refrigerated areas. The baby on the front was the same darling sketched baby you see in your baby dreams. I took it home and put it on my pantry shelf. When my son turned six months, I took off the plastic wrapping, punched through the cardboard, and shook flat, flaky bits into a small bowl. I looked at the pile of small white shavings; it didn’t look like rice. I stirred in some breast milk and watched the shavings turn into a white, pasty goo. The box said it was fortified with a dozen vitamins and minerals and wouldn’t expire for another two years. Two years.

I put down the bowl and looked around my kitchen. An open cardboard box sat on my counter. My mother-in-law, always excited for every baby product on the face of the planet, had mailed me pureed baby food in the cardboard box, sealed in packages, and ranging in color from beige to dark beige. My eyes skipped to the avocado in the fruit basket: dark green, bumpy, almost glossy, perfect. I opened the avocado, gave it a run through with a fork, and fed that to my baby.

Something didn’t seem right about the baby food in the store. Processed, pressed, milled, sealed, fillers, shelf-stable for months or years. I don’t eat that kind of food. Doctors tell you not to eat that kind of food. Why do baby doctors tell you to feed your baby that kind of food? It goes against everything you know about what food is: real, whole, unprocessed, fresh, in its original state, no added ingredients, no fillers, something that eventually decomposes. This made no sense.

So I looked it up. I read books. I found out that to make rice cereal, the whole grain of rice is stripped of its nutritious shell, processed, and vitamins and minerals are added to try to make it worth something again (because they took out what was good and integral and had to add a synthetic version back in.) White and starchy--what you’re supposed to avoid. Vitamins and minerals that your baby probably can’t even absorb because it doesn’t come from real food. So what did I feed him?

I took vegetables and meats from stews, cut them into bite sized pieces, and let baby feed himself. I made oatmeal. Whatever fresh fruits and vegetables we had with dinner, he had: red peppers, pears, peas, broccoli, peaches, carrots, chicken, celery, beans, beef, barley, quinoa, squash, green beans, and actual rice.

That wasn’t the end of it. I didn’t feed him. No sitting in front of a baby chair with a jar of beige and a spoon trying to coax my child into opening his mouth. He sat on my lap and ate from my plate. Why do babies reach for your plate? Because evolution has told them that what you’re eating is safe to eat. Why wasn’t he propped up in a high chair? Because your child should be sitting by themselves before they eat solid foods. Why wasn’t I using a spoon? Because babies do not have the enzymes they need to process solid food until they are old enough to reach out, grab that food with their own fingers, and put that food in their own mouths. Why wasn’t I trying to force him to finish a jar? Because a baby doesn’t know from jar weight; he knows when he’s not hungry anymore. Parents making their child eat when they don’t want to is another building block in teaching a child to override their inner signals and create food/obesity issues. What about iron and vitamins in processed cereal, doesn't baby need those? It's better for you AND your baby to get iron and vitamins from foods that naturally contain those nutrients because your body can actually process and use those nutrients (most artificially fortified foods and even vitamin supplements aren't readily absorbed by your body and pass through your system.)

What’s this called? Baby-led weaning. You present healthy, whole foods to your baby, and your baby feeds herself and decides when she’s done. This is the way that babies were fed for hundreds of thousands of years, until about 80 years ago when some corporations decided to market processed food to parents. Those parents bought the food because it seemed new and fashionable; a mark that you could afford it. And then, pretty soon, people thought that was the only thing you were supposed to feed your baby. Science told moms that their milk wasn’t enough to keep babies alive, so moms should start pureeing “real” food and spooning it down their month-old babies’ throats. And then, pretty soon, people thought that even older babies were supposed to eat pureed food. That’s not how babies are designed to be fed. Babies who are weaned onto real food and still mostly drink breast milk don’t have constipation problems. Babies who wean themselves don’t reject foods with texture and flavor. They have fewer allergies, they suffer less from gluten-intolerance, Crohn’s Disease, and obesity.

It makes logical sense. And it’s easier.

Stop believing a corporation’s marketing about what your child should be eating and when. Ignore your doctor when they tell you can start feeding your child solid food before they're six months old--especially if your baby is less than four months. Your doctor is probably old and doesn't know better. You know better. You know your baby. And your baby is smart. Your baby will reach over, grab food, and start eating it when she's ready to start eating solid food. Open a banana, not a jar.

Thank you Azucar for posting on my blog, and for being my biggest breast feeding support via Twitter. She is my go-to for my questions!

Baby Food Guest Post: Kamie Allen

Being a new mom can be scary. Intimidating. Nerve-racking. Exciting. Yes, most definitely exciting.

In all of the excitement, you are faced with choices. Lots and lots of choices. Life altering choices.

Cloth diapers or disposable.
Huggies or Pampers.
Formula or Breast Milk.
Similac or Enfamil.
Stay at Home or Working Mom.
Jarred food or fresh.
Whether to wear your baby or not.

The list could go on and on. And on.

There seems to be opinions and advice coming at you from every direction. Whether that advice is wanted or not... well... I'll let you decide. Everyone thinks that their way is the best way, and well... It is... for them. In the end it just leaves you confused and feeling inadequate. At least that is how I felt. (Just to carify, there is some advice that is definitely welcomed, when asked for.) In the end I decided that I would do things how I felt like doing them. I mean I can't screw him up too bad, right? People may judge me and wonder why I was chosen to be Gage's mom, but I have confidence that my motherly instincts will not fail me and Gage will grow up without too many lasting scars.

When Gage first started eating solid food, I wanted the absolute best and freshest food for for him. Of course I was going to make homemade baby food and never give him anything that had been processed or bought in a box. Right? Cause that is what all good mom's do!

Ideals.

I wish I could stick to all of my ideals.

Off I went, making and freezing baby food. Lots of baby food. Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Broccoli, Apples, Mango, and well... that was about it. Those are the vegetables and fruits that I had on hand, but it was a good starting point.

After I fed Gage the same fruits and vegetables for weeks and weeks and weeks, we were getting low. My desire to feed him only the best was still there, but the energy to get it done was not. I was a working mom working 5 days a week. I did not want to spend my weekends making baby food and cleaning up the dishes. Call me lazy, I don't mind. My pocket book was not willing to afford the variety of food that I wanted to feed Gage either. I didn't want him to grow up only liking sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, apples, and mango.

But, I should just feed him what I already have in my fridge, right? Because of course it is full of fresh produce of all kinds of varieties.

Ideals.
One saturday as were were walking around in Wal-Mart, I did it. I walked over to the baby food isle. I just wanted to browse and get some ideas. At that point I realized that making all of Gage's baby food was not realistic FOR ME. It may be a perfect fit for someone else, but for me, jarred baby food was what I needed. So... I did it. I bought jarred baby food. I looked at the ingredients. Hmm... wait... you mean there are only sweet potatoes in these sweet potatoes? Sweet! That is just how I make them! Maybe this jarred baby food stuff isn't so bad after all.

And get this, the world didn't end. And he keeps growing at a healthy rate. Awesome, right?

Yeah, it may be more pricey, but it is worth my time. I love having time on the weekend with my family. I don't miss making baby food. I can feed Gage jarred food combinations that I would never feed him otherwise. For example, I would not buy berries just to make baby food. It doesn't seem practical to me. I love that I have a variety of food at my fingertips! I can buy a variety without spending lots of money on something that will take Gage months to get through. He gets a chance to like foods that I would never purchase or even like. Plus, have you ever tried to throw frozen baby food into your diaper bag to take to the babysitters house? Yes, that's right. I buy jarred food for convenience.

(I realize you do not need me to convince you or give you any advice, I just want those moms out there that are like me to know that it's okay if you decide not to make your own baby food. Your baby will turn out just fine!)

As Gage has gotten older and is able to eat more table food, we feed him what we are eating. Whatever I can mash with my fork, he gets a bite of. He love black beans, breads, cheese, turkey, and any vegetables. (okay so he will eat anything and everything) He still eats pure foods, I am just not making all of them. Does that make me a bad mom, maybe, but a more sane mom.

I don't feed Gage milk (yet), peanut butter, nuts, strawberries or a few other various foods. Once he has reached a year old, I will branch out more and start feeding him some of these foods. I guess this is where I could ask you what you feed your one year olds. Are there things you shouldn't feed your babies? Or are most foods free game?

I may buy easy foods for convenience, but I can tell you that most likely (I won't say never) hotdogs or chicken nuggets won't become a staple for Gage anytime soon. As much as I want it to be easy, I want it to be healthy too. I want him to grow up loving fruits and veggies and whole grains. I want him to grow up eating what WE are eating. I will not make a separate meal for him. I want to teach him about eating a well balanced diet. I want fruits and veggies to be something that he WANTS to eat, not something that he has to eat.

Again, these are ideals. You can check back with me in 18 years and we'll chat again.

Sure, I still feed him baby puff snacks, yogurt melts, cheerios, baby cookies, baby cheetos, but we wouldn't get through church, appointments, or car rides without them. His current favorite food may or may not be jarred Macaroni and Cheese. Gross! Let's face it, maybe there is no hope. I may have a child that only eats junk food, watches TV all day and refuses to go outside and get some fresh air... but well... at least it will be easy to keep an eye on him. :)

I know we could argue all day about what I should and shouldn't feed my child, but this is how I like it. Variety and convenience all wrapped up in one cute little package. This is what works for me. Find what works for you. If that means stopping by Mickey D's on the way home to get a cheeseburger, then by all means, go to Mickey D's. :)

Kamie was nervous about posting, but I begged. I wanted everyone to hear a different point of view. I think as Mom's we are so hard on ourselves (especially first time Mommy's)...and it is okay that we aren't perfect, no one is!