best ever burp cloths

These are the absolute best ever burp cloths.  That’s a mighty statement, but I have the credentials to prove it.  I’ve had two kids that spit up.  Not just a little bit.  And not just a little while.  They both have gone through enough bibs and burp cloths that I do a load of them in the laundry once a week.  (It’s only once a week because we have so many.  Like dozens.  Probably 3 or 4 dozen.  No joke.)  My son spit up so much that my niece used to call him “Alex BLECH!”  Really.  I have experience with burp cloths.

If you’ve never had to think much about what constitutes a fantastic burp cloth, consider yourself lucky.  Also, I’ve done it for you.  Basically, you just want something really absorbent, reasonably large (but not cumbersome), something soft, and in a perfect world, something cute.

These deliver on all 4 counts.  And they’re the fastest baby gift you can make for someone.

Being a scientist, I approached the burp cloth issue with a hypothesis.  I predicted that the best burp cloths would be made from the most absorbent material, which was probably the cloth diaper.  Then I tested out my prediction.  Because these are the completely normal things that I choose to do with what little spare time I have.

I’ve tried other types of backing before that I do not prefer.  Thick cloth diapers are too cumbersome.  Layers and layers of muslin are too expensive.  One day, while strolling through Target (not an unusual occurrence) I spotted some flour sack dishtowels.  Ah-ha!  They were cheap and absorbent.  I brought them home with me.  And I used them on some burp cloths I made as a gift.  My co-worker said that these were her favorite burp cloths that she owned.  So I tracked them down again and decided to test it out.

Her accolades inspired me to try another kitchen-inspired material.  The bar mop dishtowel.  Crazy absorbent.  Why not?

I had my 3 top contenders.   The flour sack.  The cloth diaper.  The bar map.

I made them all and tested them for you!  
Results:  The bar mop was not as soft as I wished.  The cloth diaper was soft, and absorbent.  A very close second.  Given the price difference between the cheap flour sacks and the more expensive cloth diapers and very little difference in how they functioned, the flour sack came out on top.  Overall, the flour sack was my favorite.  We have a winner!

The front of these were made with Naomi Ito “Colorful Poncho”, a lovely double gauze (muslin). Gauze or muslin (the same stuff that Aden & Anais use for their fabulous swaddles) is an expensive choice, but such a luxurious one.  It is highly absorbent as well, so it works well.  My normal “everyday” choice for burp cloths though, is just quilting cotton.  These were a lovely little choice for the impending spring.  My Mind’s Eye “Unforgettable” in Blue.

best ever burp cloths

While there are numerous tutorials on burp cloth making out on the web, everyone makes their own a bit differently.  Here’s my quick and easy method.

Iron your fabrics.  (Honestly, Mom.  Pick your jaw up off the floor.  I really do iron before I sew.  It’s one of the few times in life that I feel an iron is necessary.)

Cut a 10.5″ x 16.5″ rectangle of cute fabric (quilting cotton or muslin)
Cut 2 –  10.5″ x 16.5″ rectangles of backing fabric (Room Essentials flour sack towels, from Target;  or Gerber flat fold birdseye cloth diapers, do not get the prefold variety)

Place fabric and backing fabric right sides together.  (There is no “right side” for the backing fabrics.  Essentially just put the cute stuff “face down” over top the flour sack.)

Sew around the perimeter, leaving an opening on one side.  

Snip your corners.

Pull the right sides of the fabric through the opening to turn correct side out.  Poke the corners (carefully, so you don’t poke a hole in the corner) with a chop stick.  Or don’t and let the corners be a bit rounded.

Tuck in the unfinished edge.  I actually iron again at this step as well.  Topstich around the perimeter.

That’s it!  Not so bad.

 A nice little stack of these is such a useful gift.  And with all of the adorable fabrics available, it’s a surprising cute one.  

 

nursery decor

Nursery decorating on a budget is a bit of a struggle. Not because I can’t stay on budget per se, but mostly because baby items are so cute that it’s hard not to want everything. But I’d advise against going wild with nursery spending, as the baby stages go by so quickly. You’re going to have to update those decorations before you know it. Your soon-to-be toddler will grow out of the crib and the little lambs seem a bit, well, babyish.

If you plan to have more than one child, chose neutral decor and use it for either gender. Adorable baby bedding and furniture can be found at outlets for relatively reasonable prices. (If Land of Nod had an outlet anywhere near me, my baby decor budget would be blown entirely.)

The biggest money-saving spot in a nursery would be the walls. I wanted my daughter, Gabby’s nursery to feel feminine, but I didn’t want to spend a fortune on artwork.

Here are several options for DIY “artwork” to hang in the nursery.

1) embroidery hoop artwork (with flowers).  Hanging fabric in different sized embroidery hoops is an easy way to take up wall space for minimal dough.

2) washi tape letters. Of course your could spell out your child’s name or a sweet little nickname for your little one. I went with the French “bébé”.

3) pictures of your family members during their childhood.  I went with photos of myself and the hubby, but I think pictures of grandparents as babies would be charming.

4) pictures of your little one, of course

5) footprint / handprint.  You’re getting these anyway for the baby book.  Go ahead and frame them as well.  It’s hard to remember Alex being that small.  Also, baby handprints are misery to try to get.

6) “punch” art.  This couldn’t be easier.  Using a craft punch and different scrapbook paper, arrange your punched shapes.

7) banner or bunting.  So many adorable ideas for banners and buntings on Pinterest.  Because the bedding I choose was “little lambie” themed, I fell in love with these sheep.

8) fabric monogram.  Another super simple one.  I bought a fairly flat wooden letter, covered it with batting, then cut a G out of fabric (with enough room around the edges to wrap around to the back).  I stapled mine down, but many other crafters used a hot glue gun.  Then mod podge over the top.  Voilà!

9) silhoutte artwork.  These are actually in my son’s room, but they could work in a nursery just as easily.  Search for silhouette images of whatever object you’re looking for.  Print on the back of scrapbook paper, cut out.  Adhere to a fabric background with mod podge.  Frame.

10) drippy crayon art.  If you have a nursery decorated in primary colors, this one would be awesome. Just glue crayons to canvas, apply a hairdryer and watch the fun happen.
11)  alphabet cards.  Nothing DIY about these, but these giant cards can take up a whole wall.  They’re cute and relatively inexpensive.  And during the toddler years, they have helped my son learn the alphabet.

12) significant family pieces.  My daughter’s middle name is Jane, after my grandmother.  My grandma just happens to be a talented artist.  I thought it fitting that one of her works should watch over Gabby Jane’s crib.

There you have it!  “Artwork” for a spruced up nursery on a dime.  While I kept the lambie bedding, lampshade and night light for both my son and my daughter, I wanted the room to feel more feminine for my daughter.  The pink polka dot curtains, little pink wire basket, pink plant (a cactus is perfect for a child’s room.  It will take me awhile before I’m able to kill it.), and crocheted hot pink blanket (thanks, Mom!) were nice little touches.  I wanted the room to feel pretty without looking like pink overload.

favorite picture books

There are so many parenting decisions that I second guess. Potty training. Time outs. How to get my kid to eat the food that I make. (And the list goes on and on.)  So many decisions I know I haven’t done as well as I should.

One decision that I don’t question is to read to my kids. We’ve been reading to Alex nightly since he was a month old. By the time he was crawling, he’d be crawling to his bookshelf, pulling out books, and turning the pages to read to himself.  I’m not saying you need to read to a one month old baby.  Seriously, that was probably a bit much.  And now that we have two, it’s been a bit harder to figure out how to read to both of them.  Do we attempt it at the same time?  How do we all fit with both of them on our lap trying to awkwardly hold the book?  If anybody has good two-kid bedtime reading rituals, please share!  But I do think reading to kids from an early age is a great way to help them to enjoy reading.

Reading to little ones has become the favorite part of our nighttime ritual.  Here’s my list of a baker’s dozen of our favorite picture books.  Please pardon me that I haven’t included the more familiar classics. We love those too, but I wanted to share some that you may not be familiar with.

1. Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell.
A sweet little story about a kitten that wants to hug the whole world, ending with a message of connectedness.

2. Hunches in Bunches by Dr. Seuss
While most anything by Dr. Seuss is technically a classic, this is a slightly more obscure one. It’s one of my favorites from my childhood and it’s fun to read.

3. Nobunny’s Perfect by Anna Dewdney
This a nice one for the toddler years, when you’re trying to discourage certain behaviors and encourage others. It rhymes and the pictures are nice. Her Llama Llama books are also staples in our house.

4. Hush Little Polar Bear by Jeff Mack
This is a sweet bed-time read.

5. Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes created and illustrated by James Dean, story by Eric Litwin
This story is toddler genius. It engages kids, yet is also an enjoyable read for adults. The overall message though is perfect. It’s sort of a “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” for the toddler set, but in a groovy way.

6. The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland
I first found this one on a list of toddler books on a blog that I can’t remember. Its out of print in the US, but copies can be found on Amazon. Another rhyming book. Funny and charming.

7. Boy with a Drum by David Harrison
This book has been read so many times in the past two years that I can recite it in my sleep. Actually, I’m pretty sure Alex could also recite it in his sleep. It’s an old book, but it’s absolutely worth tracking down and purchasing. “There once was a boy with a little toy drum. Rat a tat, tat a tat, rum a tum tum.” The boy marches along with his drum as various animals join in. It’s rhythmic and soothing.

8. Art by Patrick McDonnell
Patrick McDonnell is most well known for his comic strips, but he’s an amazing children’s book author. This is also another book that I can probably recite.

9. All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon
This book is sweet. Also about how we’re all connected. Slight hippy vibe, but in a good way.

10.National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia
The purchase of this book came about because Alex showed a strong interest in animals pretty early on. He was able to name different species of sharks and birds well before he was two. The suggestion of this book isn’t that all little kids should have this particular book. This one is quite nice though. It’s just to suggest that sometimes it’s a good idea to get something beyond what your child is capable of mastering. It helps when it’s something that they find highly interesting. I must say that it’s pretty tedious for me to go through this book anymore and have Alex name the animals, but he enjoys it. He learns so much and he’s still engaged. That’s a worthwhile thing.

11. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry
Another rhyming book. Just a sweet read with a nice message about friendship and kindness.

12. I’m a Big Brother (or I’m a Big Sister) by Joanna Cole
This is my first choice book on preparing a first-born child for the arrival of a sibling. It helps the older child to know what to expect of the baby and how to cope with their new role. I highly anticipated that Alex would experience major jealousy when his little sister was born, but surprisingly that didn’t happen. He’s embraced his big brother role. I’m giving this book the credit.

13. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
I love this book. Certain lines just make me laugh. Not just for Halloween / fall. The message about loyalty and friendship makes for a good read for any time of the year.

Toddler lunch: California BLT wraps

Because I pack my 3-year old’s lunch everyday, I’m quite familiar with the struggle to promote lunchbox diversity. Toddlers aren’t exactly known for their willingness to try new foods. And they’re even less likely to try foods that they’ve had before and didn’t like.

My son may be stubborn and strong-willed, but he got that from me! I’m going to keep trying to get him to eat different foods regardless of how much he claims that he doesn’t like it. I just keeping trying to present things in different ways, hoping that I’ll stumble upon one that he enjoys.

Besides, I eat these things for lunch too. It breaks up the monotony of leftovers.

Prepping these will take a small amount of prep work. It saves precious time in the morning if your bacon has been fried in advance.

These wraps are nice to customize towards different tastes. Instead of packing separate lunches, I make wraps for everyone. I leave the tomatoes off of Alex’s and the avocado off of Tyler’s. Mine gets the works.

And just for the record, my kid didn’t eat this. He may not have been willing to try his wrap, but I loved my lunch! And I’m not giving up on trying to get him to try different foods.

California BLT wraps

per wrap:

tortilla
romaine lettuce
a few cherry tomatoes cut in half
~ ¼ avocado, cut into slices
2 slices bacon
2 slices of deli ham (or turkey)
mayo

Spread mayo over the tortilla. Top with ham,crunchylettuce, tomatoes, bacon and avocado. Wrap and slice along the diagonal.

Toddler lunch: raspberry mascarpone sandwiches

The morning rush of just getting out the door with the kids is always exacerbated by holidays. On Valentine’s Day, I like to go the extra mile and do something special for my little Valentines too, but I’d like to try to at least get to work at a reasonable time.

These little heart sandwiches fit the bill. They’re a cheery reminder of the holiday without holding preventing me from getting to work on time.

Besides, Alex is perfectly capable of inhibiting my ability to get to work. His lunches shouldn’t have to.

These little bite-sized sandwiches are quick and easy. You could certainly substitute any berry combination cookie cutter shape you’d like.

Raspberry Mascarpone Heart Sandwiches

from Weelicious Lunches

raspberries
mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese)
raspberry jam
bread

Mix together a dollop of mascarpone and a teaspoon or two of raspberry jam. Spread on two pieces of bread. Cut the raspberries in half and lay them across one slice of bread. Cut little shapes out of your sandwich if you’re so inclined.

Whatever you do, do not throw away the scraps. That’s a cook’s breakfast! Lucky you!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tips for Weeknight Meals

I think anyone that has small children struggles with the weeknight meal rush.  It’s tough trying to come home, comfort the crying baby, play with the toddler, catch up with the spouse, wash the bottles, sort the mail, etc. etc.  Most nights feel like chaos has descended upon our home.

How in the world are we supposed to manage all of this and make it through for another day?  They didn’t teach me this stuff in school.

After juggling working with one child, I found some strategies that seemed to work rather well.  With two kids, these tips have become almost requirements just to get through the week.  I’d venture to guess that some day, many years from now, I’ll look back on these years with great fondness and miss those moments of cuddling my two little babes.  But right now, the baby just spit up, the toddler is wailing because his cheese is broken, the dog doesn’t want to come inside, and I need to get get dinner on the table before bedtime.

Tip #1.  Have a plan.  I write mine out every week.  First, clean out your fridge.  Get rid of whatever’s rotting in the back.  Check out what needs to be used up right away.  Use that information to dictate your plan.  If you know that you absolutely have to use up that asparagus ASAP, incorporate that into a stir fry on Monday.  Sit down with some cookbooks or family recipes or wherever you get your culinary inspiration and make some decisions.  My weeknight cooking is not the same as what I make as when I’m entertaining or on the weekends.  Weeknight cooking is all about practicality.  It has to be fast.  Not too many ingredients or steps.  Things that are familiar and can be done with a baby wrapped in the carrier and the toddler wrapped around your leg.  Take it easy on yourself.  Now is not the time to be fancy.  Here’s my menu for this week.  

I’ll write down the source of recipes (cookbook, page #) so that I can quickly look it up.  While I’m planning our menus, I also like to make my shopping list.  If I need to make cookies for Alex’s class at school, I put that on my plan.  Or if I’d like to make something special to celebrate that week, it will make the list.

2.  Be flexible!  By week’s end, I usually have made about 3 of the meals I’ve planned and I probably haven’t made them on the nights that I intended.  Life’s just that way.  If it’s a crazy day at work and you got stuck in traffic on the way home, make the faster meal that night.  If you just aren’t digging the thought of kale, onion, & bacon risotto tonight, save that one for a different night.

3.  Prep ahead when you can.  Most nights I don’t have the time to roast things for an hour or make fresh pasta.  If I’m going to eat something that requires extensive cooking time or fancy techniques, try to prep on the weekends.  I like to take most of the meat for my week out of the freezer on Sunday and defrost in the fridge until I’m ready to use it.  I might chop up a few of my veggies.  This week, I roasted the butternut squash in advance.  I’ll use the bacon I make for soup in my son’s lunch the next day.

4.  Breakfast for supper night.  Breakfast foods tend to be really fast to cook.  Egg, bacon & cheese sandwiches.  Blueberry pancakes & bacon.  Nutella crepes with whipped cream & a side of bacon.  Throw in a side of fruit or a smoothie to slightly amp up the nutritional value.  Breakfast is such a happy meal, and we don’t get to eat the good stuff often enough.  So I made it a weekly dinner ritual.  It’s fast & nobody whines about it.  In fact, my son requested pancakes for his third birthday dinner this year.

Keep reading for this week’s classic french toast.  And in this Ron Swanson-loving household, bacon is mandatory.

5.  Freezer meals.  I’ve been relying on these wonders once a week lately.  There have been amazing advances in the land of the frozen dinner in recent years.  PF Chang’s, Newman’s Own, Barefoot Contessa, and Bertolli all have some really decent frozen skillet meals on the market right now.  And they all are ready in under 15 minutes.  I also like to make my own meals in advance.  Prep several meals’ worth, freeze the extra &  eat well during the work week.

6.  Disaster preparedness.  Because there are those nights when real cooking just isn’t going to happen.  It’s all about just getting fed.  When I was single and I’d work late, I used to eat popcorn for dinner on those sorts of nights.  Or Lucky Charms.  When I got married, that just didn’t seem to fly with my meat and potatoes-loving hubby.  When I had children that required real food to eat at meals, I let go of the idea that popcorn was perfectly sufficient.  (Though I will absolutely make it for myself as a dinner when the hubby is out with the guys!)  Make a list of super-quick meals that you can throw together in no time flat.  These should rely heavily on food you usually have on hand.  Here’s mine:

7.  Plan a night of take-out.  There are just going to be nights when even a grilled cheese is beyond what you really want to make.  Go ahead and plan one takeout night.  Thank goodness for drive-through Panera.  This week we’re picking up pizza for Valentine’s Day.  We have our favorite take and bake pizza place, amazing to-go salads, and more time to spend relaxing together after a busy week.

Classic French Toast 

adapted from Ina Garten’s Challah French Toast recipe

1 cup milk
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
zest of 1 orange (or 2 clementines if you realize you don’t happen to have any oranges…)
hearty bread with a bit of a crust (a nice Tuscan boule is my loaf of choice)

Whisk the eggs and milk.  Add the vanilla and orange zest.   Soak thick slices of bread in the egg mixture until saturated.  Warm a drizzle of tasteless oil over medium heat and add the bread to the skillet.  Fry on both sides until golden brown.  Serve with butter, maple syrup, a side of fruit and some bacon, of course.

Toddler lunch: mini bagel pizzas

If my son’s daycare allowed us to send bagels, he’d be eating these for lunch.  Alas, his are normally served on English muffins.  The poor child.

Since the little one can’t take these to school, we like these mini pizza bagels for weekend lunches and game-time snacks.  This would also be nice to have on hand for baby-sitters to pop into the oven.

They’re quick and easy to make and they’re freezer-friendly.

Just a few quick ingredients.  Bagels, pizza sauce, cheese and whatever pizza toppings you like.  Core out the bagels a little bit to make room for the sauce.  Top with cheese and add your favorite toppings.  I’m a mushroom girl.  My toddler likes pepperoni.  The hubby likes chorizo.

My little man likes to help with the toppings.

Oregano is a pizza must-have.

Not exactly revolutionary, but pizza bagels are a hit with every member of the family.

Mini pizza bagels

mini bagels (I used Pepperidge Farm)
pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese
pizza toppings: pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions, chorizo, chicken, tomatoes, basil, etc. etc.
dried oregano

Preheat oven to 475°  Dig a little channel in each bagel half and fill the sauce into the moat.  Top with cheese & favorite toppings.  Bake until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned, about 12 minutes.

If you’d like to individually portion these and store for a later date, after topping the bagels, wrap in aluminum foil.  Store in a plastic freezer bag in your freezer.  To reheat: bake covered loosely with aluminum foil at 475ºF for 10 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is bubbly & lightly browned.