Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Menus4Moms

Free weekly menus with recipes and grocery list
By far, my most tedious and time consuming weekly task is planning the dinner menu. But I have found a fantastic time saver!! MENUS4MOMS.COM!! You can subscribe to their weekly newsletter and get the menu and grocery list emailed to you. The grocery list is editable and comes with an estimated cost associated with the various items and an estimated grand total. The menus are not planned by nutritionists; just 4 busy moms just like you and me. They try out the dishes before they post them and they try to keep them tasty, healthy, and well balanced. They do a pretty good job. Some meals are healthier than others and some tastier than others. But you're a mom with good mom sense and you can easily tweak these meals to meet your families nutritional needs. But, at least they give you a kick start and you don't have to sit down in front of the cookbooks for hours trying to find divine inspiration. Tonight we had a beef roast, brown rice, and a corn casserole. All for 8 points (I threw that in for you weight watchers out there!) I usually use reduced fat or low fat options and PAM whenever possible and things usually turn out fine. And now with the grocery list, I just hit print, add in the other household items we might need (toilet paper, dishwasher soap, shampoo, etc.) and I'm off to the store. That saves at least an hour every week! 52 hours a year!!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Mommy's Group


If you haven't already found a women's center in your area, I encourage you to do so. Our local women's center is the Elizabeth Blackwell Center. It is an amazing place that I discovered during my pregnancy. We took our Baby Basics class there (how not to break your child in the first two weeks) and we took Breastfeeding Basics there. Beyond that they have a whole bunch of incredible programming. Currently I am involved in the New Mothers Group which meet every Tuesday from 1:30-2:30. Moms bring babies and questions. Yvonne, the facilitator, is a parenting specialist and helps to calm our nerves and encourage us. Who knew that my daughter might just need more than 12 hours of sleep at night during a growth spurt. (I know, I'm so lucky) I thought something might be wrong. The topics are generally centered around eating, sleeping, and diaper habits with the occasional toy or car seat question thrown in. But most of all it's a resource. And as Maggie grows and develops in to a toddling little girl, I know I am going to have lots of questions. It's really nice to know I have a place to go, to talk with other moms, to talk with the experts, and really see what other kids her age are doing. Again, if you haven't found this place in your area, I would encourage you to start looking. You won't believe how reassuring it is to know that there are other kids out there infatuated with sucking their right big toe....my kid's not weird!

The picture, by the way, is my friend Lisa and her 8.5 month old daughter Claire. We had a picnic at the park last Friday and our girls discovered the swings and the slide. Lisa and I met the first time I went to the New Moms Group at EBC.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Easy Baby Booties!

Today's project comes to me from Creative Juice. A wonderful show on DIY Network. This show has a lot of great, quick and easy craft ideas. One of my recent favorites is for felt baby booties. This is a great project for even a novice sewer. The day I saw the episode I whipped out a pair in about 20 minutes from scraps I had in my sewing bag. Here is the link to the DIY Network website or you can just keep scrolling for instructions: Fleece Baby Booties on DIY

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Materials:

booties pattern (Download PDF)
1/4 yd. fleece fabric
9" length of 1/4" soft elastic
16" decorative ribbon
sewing machine
matching thread
scissors and pins

1. Pin the pattern in place on the fabric, making sure to place it on the fold, and cut out (figure A). Remove the pins, open the booties and place them right sides down (figure B).

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Figure A

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Figure B

2. Cut elastic in half (1 piece for each bootie) and, following pattern instructions, sew stretched elastic across the appropriate stitching line (figure C).

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Figure C

3. Fold each bootie in half, keeping right sides together. Cut the ribbon in half (1 piece for each bootie), fold each piece in half and pin according to pattern directions (figure D).

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Figure D

4. Pin and sew the edges, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance (figure E).

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Figure E

5. Turn right side out and tie the ribbon in a bow. Use scissors to cut a fringe at the top of the booties (figure F).

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Figure F


Let me know how your booties turn out! I will keep the useful tips, crafts, and ideas coming! Keep checking back!!


Amanda

Little Ones

Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers
Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

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