Quick carrot cake pancakes
With money being tight I have been trying to use up all the food in our cupboards, rather than go to the store once a week. So, last week I had to come up with something for breakfast. We were out of the usual yogurt, oatmeal, and cereal. However, I did find a box of instant carrot cake mix.
So, I mixed up the cake mix and added a cup of apple sauce to it. Mixed it up and poured it on the griddle. I tried to make Mickey mouse shapes, but no luck.
The pancakes were DELICIOUS!!!!! Maybe not the healthiest… but I figured it was better than donuts. I gave the kids some fruit and milk with it… Poof! An almost nutritious breakfast! The kids loved it!
Vinegar… it’s many uses!!!!
I love White Vinegar. I have used it for so many things… first, I began with using it to aid in treating thrush when the kids were babies. Soon, I started using it when washing cloth diapers. Then, it became the main cleaning item. I used it with baking soda to clean the bathroom (tubs), the kitchen, the kids high chairs, when steam cleaning the carpet, etc. I LOVE it!!!!!
Today a friend posted a great site… it shows many uses for vinegar, including whitening your teeth!!!!! I love this site and am sure to check back often!
1001 Uses for Vinegar
Check it out!!!!!!
Cool alternate for the summer splash pool
Thursday was sunny and hot. Like most summer days here in NC. We are down to one vehicle, currently. So, I needed to find a fun activity for the kids. We play in the little plastic pool and our little splash yard most days. They were a little bored with that. Seems you get a few days of fun play, then they want something new.
So, I got out a bunch of cups and poured the freezer full of ice in the cooler. I dumped a bunch in the pool and had them catch the cubes. Then, I opened the cooler and let them take turns getting cup fulls. They poured them from one cup to another, ate ice, put ice down the slide, etc. They had a blast, for HOURS!!!!!! I will definitely keep this in mind for a “hot day” activity!!!!!
Aren’t we BIG KIDS now??!!!!
So, yesterday, on a whim, we decided to move the kids to toddler beds. We had been given 1 toddler bed and a twin bed, when I was pregnant. I almost didn’t take them, but did in the end. My theory, if it is something you will have to use in the future… and it is FREE… might as well go ahead and take it, then save your money later!
Anyway, we got the wooden toddler bed set up in Zane’s room. We started to set up the twin in Bree’s, but decided it might be more trouble to get a twin mattress and box springs than it would be to just get another toddler bed. Online, Walmart and Target have some for $50 and up. However, since they would only be in it for a short time, I decided to try elsewhere first.
I checked on our local craigslist. I found quite a few car beds (Zane would have LOVED one of those) but they were about $50. That’s a huge discount from what they normally cost, over $200. But it was more than I wanted to spend. I started calling people who had cheaper beds and had posted their number. I found a lilac princess bed for $15!!!! I called and she said we could pick it up in the afternoon.
When 4:00 rolled around, Brett packed Bree up in the car and they set off to get her “Big Girl” bed. When he arrived, the woman had found a little crack (I still can’t find it). So, she insisted on only charging him $10!!!!! What a DEAL!!!!!
Both kids went to bed fine. They talked in their beds for about 1-2 hours, but didn’t get up. This morning they made noise until we came to get them out of their beds. They slept until about 7-7:30. I’m so proud of them!!!!
What a month it has been for us!!!! Potty training (only about 1 accident a day now!) and BIG KID beds!!!!!! Where did my babies go???!!!!!
A good laugh
This made me laugh so hard I was crying! It is hilarious!!!!
Redbox code!!!!!
Today is the FREE Redbox code day!!!!!! You still have to scan your debit or credit card, but you won’t be charged. You can use multiple cards and get multiple rents! The code will expire at 11:59, tonight. Anyway, here it is… I’ll try to remember to post again next Monday!
4J7LF6
Simple/cheap bedrails!!!!!!
Dee moved R to a toddler bed. The first night R fell out of the bed REPEATEDLY! She bought rails, but found they didn’t fit. So, I suggested she get 3 swim noddles, tape them together, and insert them under the sheets. She found some 3 for $5 at Kroger and did just that. It worked like a charm!!!! R no longer falls out of the bed, she can climb over them to get out in the morning, and they can take them, easily, when they travel!!!!!!!
On the way to being potty trained!!!!!
So, the Wondertwins are 27 months. A little early for potty training, for the average here in the USA. However, one of the many advantages of cloth diapering is that kids potty train on average of 1-2 years before others! We have had the potty chairs out for awhile now. Then last week my friend, who has 2 1/2 year old twins, said she was ready to start training. So, we decided to jump on the band wagon.
Zane started by going pee in the potty several times on Monday. So, I sent him and DH to the store to get some “Spiderman” underwear. Right after they left, Bree started crying that she wanted princess panties.
So, on Tuesday we went back to the store to purchase more for both… and they have been in panties/underwear since! We are still doing diapers at nap and bed, but the rest of the day, we are out of diapers.
They have been doing pretty good. Bree is best at pooping in the potty, but doesn’t really care to pee in it much. Zane can pee in the potty just about any time he is asked to sit down. Yesterday he just had 1 pee and 2 poop accidents… he isn’t much for pooping in the potty yet.
My opinion… if you want to potty train, SKIP the pull ups!!!! They are just diapers you can pull up and down! They still don’t really feel the pee. Why am I starting my kids so early? They were cloth diapered. They are use to feeling that wet warm feeling and know what it means. Disposables wick away the moisture… So, kids don’t really feel it.
While we won’t be fully potty trained for a bit, the kids are doing AWESOME!!!!! We are giving chocolate graham bears from Whole Foods as a treat (though DH found them last night and took care of about 3/4 of the bag 
). They are excited an have been making it to the potty more than not. We also have a little b’jorn potty that we move around. So, the potty is always really nearby, making less chance for accidents!
It certainly isn’t SIMPLE with twins, but it is going much easier than I thought. Anyway, wish us LUCK!!!!!
Wordless Wednesday
This is one picture from many… They were taken by Sarah Null www.sarahnullphotography.com
She is amazing!!!!!
Breast feeding doesn’t have to be all or nothing… & a GIVEAWAY!!!!!!
I breastfed my twins. It is one of my greatest accomplishments. But, it was no easy task.
At first I was told I shouldn’t introduce any formula, bottles, or pacifiers, because then my kids wouldn’t breastfeed. Unfortunately, I had two preemie babies that needed food, and I wasn’t producing enough. I pumped and pumped, I took fenugreek… I couldn’t produce enough. I started getting stressed, which made my milk go down.
I finally saw the most wonderful lactation consultant in the world! She was so supportive, told me I was Super Woman, and best of all, she told me not to stress. She said, “Only do as much as you can. Don’t worry about what you can’t do.” I learned, that breast feeding does NOT have to be an “all or nothing” thing. So, I started with trying to get them to the breast at least once a day, and I tried to pump at least 3 times a day. Sounds easy enough, but it wasn’t! I had two tiny infants that had no idea what day/night was, much less, what staying on a similar schedule meant!
Eventually, I worked my way up to doing most feedings by breast during the day. Yet, I never was able to exclusively breast feed. But, that was OK with me. Why?! Because I was doing what I could for my babies, and that was what was best for us.
I do think breast milk is the best and most nutritious food for infants. I breast fed Zane for 19 months and Bree for about 16. However, like in my situation, it isn’t always feasible for a mom to provide ONLY breastmilk… and some may not be able to at all. For at least the first year, I didn’t breast feed both at night. I was so exhausted all the time. So, Brett would feed one formula while I fed the other breast milk or a bottle of formula. The next feeding, we would switch. That is what worked for us.
So, this leads me to my first giveaway!!!!!! Yes, a giveaway!!!!! This is sponsored by Parents Choice. This is a brand that can be found at Walmart. It has the same nutrition as some of the leading brands, but at a fraction of the price! Here are some notes from Parent’s Choice:
Raising Healthy Babies without Skimping on Nutrition
There is good news for families with small babies who are looking for big savings without compromising nutrition.
Experts agree that mother’s milk is best and the least expensive option for infant feeding. If parents choose to supplement breastfeeding with infant formula or to formula-feed exclusively, they can turn to Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers for store brands that offer the same safe, high quality, affordable infant nutrition.
Although all U.S. infant formulas must adhere to the same stringent FDA guidelines, they are not priced the same, as many leading store-brand formulas cost up to 50% less than national brands. In fact, parents can save up to $600 a year ($1200 for twins) by choosing a retailer’s store brand infant formula.
“A new parent today is met with a dizzying array of marketing messages when it comes to doing what is best for their babies,” said Dr. Barbara Levine, Associate Professor of Nutrition in Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University. “Nowhere is this truer than in the area of infant formulas. Thanks to strict government regulation, the fact is that there is very little, if any, differentiation in the nutritional values touted by the various national brands on the market, and in this economy, doctors are advising parents to switch their babies to a store brand formula so they can save money.”
FDA, in conjunction with the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition, establishes strict guidelines concerning the ingredients and their levels in infant formula; all U.S. manufacturers must conform to these rules. In addition, all infant formulas must demonstrate growth, development, and mineral absorption equal to mother’s milk before they may be sold in the United States.
In light of a recent press report of a parent diluting baby formula with water in this difficult economy, Dr. Levine urges parents to read and strictly follow the directions on the labels of their formulas of choice.
In addition to switching to store brand formulas, parents can save money on infant feeding by:
* Contacting their local service and religious organizations – state WIC agencies, local food banks, and churches may be able to offer additional assistance.
* Look for coupons on the Internet and save money on items such as baby formula and diapers.
“It is critical that parents refrain from diluting baby formula with extra water during these tough economic times,” added Dr. Levine. “If parents choose to feed babies infant formula, they must remember it is an infant’s sole source of nutrition.”
The Parent’s Choice Infant Formula Web site – www.parentschoiceformula.com offers:
* Free baby formula samples http://www.parentschoiceformula.com/baby-formula-samples.aspx
* A savings calculator http://www.parentschoiceformula.com/baby-formula-savings-calculator.aspx
* A formula finder http://www.parentschoiceformula.com/parents-choice-formula-finder.aspx
In addition, we have a facebook fan site http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parents-Choice-Infant-Formula/31916575476, complete with an application that allows fans to give one another free formula http://apps.facebook.com/parent_choice/
Since Parent’s Choice also offers an array of baby and toddler foods, we also have a product site http://www.parentschoicefoods.com/ and a facebook site:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parents-Choice-Foods/23879928961.
NOW, for the giveaway!!!! Parent’s choice is giving away a $100 gift card to Walmart!!!!!! All you have to do, is go to one of the Parent’s Choice product sites (above) and check it out. Then come back here and post something you learned from the site. You can also get entries from posting about my contest on twitter, on facebook, or by subscribing to my site. For each way, please come back and post a comment telling me what you have done. A winner will be chosen at random. The contest will close at midnight on July 3rd. I will post the winner on INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!!!!!
GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!
