Indoor fun

Last night while in Target, (my favortite store by the way) I noticed they had their Spring and Summer toys out. Now last year, I made the mistake of hemming and hawing over a water table they had and by the time I decided to get it, they were all out.

So, when I saw they had the same table again this year, I didn't hesitate. I snatched that baby up!

Lucy loves to play in water. She loves to pour water from one container to another. It amazes me how long that can keep her attention. I knew she would love this and I knew I could set it up inside on the kitchen floor and she could play to her hearts content. I was also hoping this would buy me some extra time in the day where I don't have to be sitting next to her while she plays. She thinks I'm her playmate all day long some days. She's getting better, but I still hear "Mommy play?" a lot during the day. This would be perfect while I made lunch or dinner or just needed to be in the kitchen getting things done.

I also plan on putting other things in it when she gets a little bit bigger. The possibilities are endless; rice, beans, shaving cream, etc... Of course some of these things may need to be done outside.

I had it all set up and ready to go when she woke up this morning. She played with it for about an hour before I convinced her to finally eat breakfast.

I laid a large quilt on the floor to absorb the water that I knew would end up on the floor.

Like her mismatched outfit. The top goes with her pj's but her diaper leaked this morning so I put an old pair of capris on her. I knew she'd end up soaked from head to toe and need her clothes changed anyway.

As you can tell from the picture, she's happy with her new toy. And mommy is too!

It's no secret that I love to cook and bake. I really do enjoy planning nutritious meals for me and my family. Ever since Lucy came along, I've been much more aware of what I buy at the supermarket and I'm always looking for ways to sneak a little more nutrition in our diets.

This is a favorite little trick of mine:

Wheat Germ. When I want to add a little extra nutrition to whatever it is I'm cooking or baking, I will throw 1-2 tablespoons of this in.

The following info was copied from this site http://nutrition.suite101.com/article.cfm/nutritional_benefits_of_wheat_germ

Wheat germ is the nutrient-rich embryo of the wheat kernel that is removed during the processing of whole wheat grains to white flour and only makes up about two to three percent of the entire wheat kernel . Although not technically a food, wheat germ is considered to be one of the top 10 healthiest foods to include in a balanced diet because it is such a good source of so many essential vitamins and minerals and healthy fats.

Health Benefits of Wheat Germ
Wheat germ contains phytosterols which have been shown to lower cholesterol and promote heart health. In addition, wheat germ contains high amounts of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps protect the body from damaging free radicals. Wheat germ is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids promote heart health by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, are important for nervous system functioning, and help elevate mood. Wheat germ is also a good source of fiber which has many benefits including improved bowel function and may reduce the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes and prevent weight gain.

The website also says that it's best to toast the wheat germ in the oven for a few minutes, but I've not done that. I ususally just throw it in raw and haven't even noticed it's there.

If you decide to buy some and keep it on hand for your recipes, make sure to keep it in the fridge in an air tight container. The natural oils found in wheat germ will go rancid if stored at room temperature. You can also keep it in the freezer for an even longer shelf life. This is actually true of whole wheat flours as well. Unless you're going to be using it all up within a few weeks -month, then it's best to keep it in the fridge or freezer or it will go bad.

If you want to buy some Wheat Germ, you'll probably have better luck at Kroger's in the organic section. I can't remember if I got mine at Kroger's or the health food store here in town. But, give it a try and I bet your family won't even know that you've added a little more nutrition to their meal.

update

Well it's the first day off Singular and even though it's only been a half day so far, today has been much better. I'll continue to monitor and see how the next few days go. It's felt much more normal around here today though and that's been a huge relief for me.

mood

Last Tuesday I took Lucy to the doctor to have her checked out. She had croup over Christmas and ever since then there were a few times when she's cry or get upset and she'd sound kinda wheezy. I just wasn't for sure she was over it completely.

I'm glad I took her because my mommy instincts were right and the doctor said her breathing still sounded "off". That's not the term she used, but you get my point. :)

To try and get this cleared up once and for all, the doctor wanted Lucy to take Singular for a month. Singular is an asthma/allergy medicine that's approved for children as young as 2. In my younger days, I tried Singular as well. I never felt any different with it and so didn't take it for very long.

We brought home a bunch of samples of Singular and I started giving Lucy the one pill a day at bedtime like I was instructed.

Fast forward a week and here we are. It's been one heck of a week with Lucy and her behavior. Last Wednesday night we had a horrible time getting Lucy to go to bed, something we've never had a problem with before. She has been unusually grumpy and cranky and everything has seemed to set her off. I looked at Dan yesterday and asked him if it were just me or is Lucy a different child. He agreed that she was not herself.

Today wasn't any better. I had just been telling myself that it's the age. Lucy is 2 and she's going through a phase and that's all it was. But I was missing my happy, cooperative toddler.

I started thinking today about something a friend of mine had mentioned in passing on Facebook. Maybe this crazy behavior was being caused by this new medicine she was on. Afterall, this past week, she has just not been herself.

I was discussing this with Dan and he went online to look at side effects of Singular. Turns out that one of the more rare side effects is aggression, easy aggitaion, and mood swings to name a few. He also came across a blog about the effects this medicine has had on other people. It wasn't pretty. I made him stop reading the posts because they were so upsetting.

Needless to say, I did not give her the pill before bedtime tonight. I can't help but think that this medince has contributed to some of the behavior issues we've had with Lucy this past week. It's scary. As a parent you trust the doctors and you want to do what's best for your child. But I can't give her this pill. I plan on calling the doctor in the next few days after I get a chance to observe her behavior.

We also had to start giving her breathing treatments Friday. Here's a picture of her in her "fishy mask" After some convincing she finally let us put this up to her face. She didn't like the idea of it at first.

Words I never thought I'd say to my child

"You can have more celery after you eat a few more bites of your pizza".

Seriously? What's up with my child? I know, I shouldn't complain. She's actually a very good eater and loves fruits and veggies. So far she's not been very picky and will usually eat whatever it is we're having for dinner.

Friday night I made homemade pizza and it was still way too hot for Lucy to eat so I gave her some carrot sticks and celery to eat with some sour cream ranch dip. Lucy's a dip fanatic! Anything she can dip is a hit with her. She usually ends up eating more dip than vegetable, but I figure she still getting some of the good stuff.

When the pizza was cool enough for her to eat I put it on her plate and she really wasn't all that interested in it. She ate a few bites, but she was digging the celery and that's all she wanted. Now I know celery is good for her, but it's not filling. I wanted her to eat something with a little more substance so she wasn't asking for a snack 10 minutes after leaving the table.

I'm not sure what we did right with Lucy. Maybe it was because I made all Lucy's babyfood instead of buying the bland jarred stuff, or maybe we just got blessed with a child who loves fruits and vegetables. I'm going to believe the latter. It'll be interesting to see how her tastes change as she continues to get older. For now, I'll keep reminding her to eat her pizza.

Menu Planning

I had such good intentions for last week. I had a menu all planned out but for one reason or another, I didn't follow it one bit. It seems like if I get thrown off early in the week then it throws me off altogether. I still cooked most days last week, but it wasn't what I had planned. Oh, well. When that happens, I roll with it. It's not a huge deal.

I am determined to get back on track for this week though. Here's what I have planned:

(Week 3)

Monday
L- sloppy joes
D- was supposed to be chicken drumsticks, but we have left-over beef stew to eat

Tuesday
L- chicken quesidillas (I'm sure that's spelled wrong!)
D- pot roast, homemade mac-n-cheese and vegetable

Wednesday
L-lunch meat sandwiches, chips and fruit
D- pounded chicken breasts with cheese, hashbrown potato casserole, veggies

Thursday
L- hotdogs, left-over potato casserole, fruit
D- American chop Suey ( new recipe) bread (hopefully homemade if I have time)

Friday
L- left-overs
D- homemade pizza, veggies with dip

Saturday
L- beef faitas (from left-over pot roast)
D- grilled cheese and vegetable soup (I have a containter in the freezer that needs to be eaten)

Sunday
L- Wendy's !!!! Yay it's finally opening this week!
D- whole wheat pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon


It's about time to start planning for my next 4 weeks of menus. It always amazes me how fast the 4 weeks flies by.

Painting take 2

I should have known that my plan to paint the playroom wouldn't go smoothly on the first try. This happens to me a lot. I pick a paint color, test it out on the wall, make a decision, buy the paint, get it on the wall, and then change my mind.

I don't understand what went wrong this time. I had a quart of paint and I tested it on the wall. I liked it and thought it looked good. I even checked it throughout the day as the light changed and didn't have any reservations about the color.

When I started painting today I started noticing as the paint dried it had a pinkish cast to it. I went ahead and painted two walls so I could get a good area of coverage to judge what was going on. The more I painted and the more it dried the more I was not liking the color. It even looked different than the original patch I painted. I am not totally convinced that the lady didn't make a mistake when mixing the paint for me.

I knew if I went ahead and painted the whole room, I would hate it and end up repainting it. So I stopped after the two walls and we went to the paint store and I bought a different shade. I picked a shade I've used elsewhere in the house, so I knew I was going to like it. That's what I should have done in the first place. I hate wasting money on paint.

When we got home the paint looked much more purplely than pink. It was awful! I got to work putting the new paint on the walls and I like it soooo much better. Now that I have a neutral color I can start thinking about how to make this room fun and playful. It is a playroom afterall, it should be fun!

When I get it all done I'll post some pics.