Solving the Mystery of Baby Food!

I came across this when i started Zachary on solids and thought that all you 

other Baby Momma's might need help with the confusing task of figuring 

out how much and when to feed your little cutie!  

I got this from Emma's Pediatrician when she started solids and have held onto 

this little gem since then! So thankful that i have! 

Happy Wednesday all!

Dry Erase Quiet Book

I know that you have all had those days where everywhere 

you go and everything you do takes forever, meanwhile your 2 year 

old is running around like crazy or tapping you on the 

shoulder to play with your phone....

BOREDOM sets in and it seems to take over the mind of your child! 

Well I have really been meaning to get around to making emma a quiet book...you

 know those adorable felt books that blow your mind at how genius 

and creative mommy's can be when they have felt and a few other odds and ends....yeah....well i havent had the time to be that 

creative lately(ie Zach-man)....so i decided to go about it in another way...

I used:

- a normal 4X6 photo album 

-cardstock

-dry erase markers-

-designed pages on the computer to go inside!

 Emma has LOVED IT...she asks constantly to play with even when we are at home...haha...

I have so many ideas of pages to create....i am loving the idea and have

 to say our almost 3 year old has mastered the skill of connecting the dots!! 

'can you draw a man climbing the mountian mommy? and birdies in the sky'

 Too cute for words....

  

Decorating cupcakes in the bake shop!!!

 'watch me draw me'

 connecting the E

mma dots!!!

As we have been out and about with it, 

it has definitely become the topic of conversation and 

kiddos have asked their mommies when they get to 'paint'....

that being said....i am considering selling the template pages....

$.25 per sheet(that is 3 activity pages)...

would you(whoever you are) be interested? if so comment below...

this has been such a fun addition to our diaper bag!!! 

Cloth Diapers....dum dum dum...

Well we are in full swing of Cloth Diapering, peeing, pooping and all! 

We are actually all surviving! 

I just wanted to do a quick post on our set up and see 

if anyone has any suggestions or input...

We have invested(or should i say have had people along with ourselves invest) 

in the FLIP system by bumgenius.....they are AWESOME! 

We love them so far....

We have 11 covers and 36 inserts(on good days where Zach-man 

only uses 12 a day that is 3 days worth)....

we also have a stainless steel trashcan, with pail liner 

sprayer for those dirty ones

and use the bumgenius odor removing spray...

 

a few wet bags for out and about and a folding clothes rack!

They are just so so cute on him! 

Nothing too fancy here, just the basics 

but week one is going pretty well!

Well this is a little bit of our set up....anything you see 

that we could improve or have questions about???

Homemade Oatmeal Packets

Well something that I have always loved is the warm gooey goodness of oatmeal....

I know some hate it but I personally LOVE it!

What I do not love the price of those little packets that come pre-portioned and ready to go....so why not make your own....I found a few recipes online and this is my favorite so far!

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Oatmeal

1/3 Quick Cooking Oats

1 tsp dry milk

2 tsp brown sugar(or more if you like is extra sweet)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2/3 cup water

Mix all ingredients together, microwave for about 1 and half minutes and viola!!!

I am telling you tastes just like the oatmeal packets...

because more than likely it is the exact same ingredients...i mean

what we really pay for now a days it the convenience right?!?!

So if you like Instant Oatmeal, just on this simple kick and save yourself alot of $$$$!

Mommy & Emma Lunch!

The last few weeks have been crazy...
not really sure when our little lives will completely be settled
but Emma Girl and I had a fun mommy/Emma lunch today....

did we go out? Nope....

was it anything really fancy? Nope...

 BUT Emma girl loves helping in the kitchen...and that is what she did.....

One of my childhood favorites is English Muffin Pizzas....so with the
 leftover pizza sauce i had made last week for pizza night @ the Stewarts, we
threw together some little cheese and olive 'mini pizzas'....she loved it! 

She also helped make lemonade(i mean taste tested the lemonade...haha) and we finished off with a yummy frozen FREE dessert that was given to us!!

It really is moment likes these that I am so blessed, honored and overwhelmed with the privilege of being a mommy....and I get to stay at home with my kiddos to top it off!!

MAJOR blessing that I so many days overlook with Zach screaming or constantly nursing,  and Emma saying 'mommy, mommy, mommy' over and over...

Its the simple honor that I GET to do....not just HAVE to do! 

God Help me to view this simple life that way!

So we have been blessed...and honestly living simply has once again taught us to relish in the little things...the things that you overlook and think are mundane.  This weekend we have been hanging out with Michael's parents and trying to continue settling into our little abode. We aren't really sure who lived in this little trailer before us but we know that they liked to fry things in GREASE, had animals and didnt clean hardly at all!

So for the past few weeks we have been cleaning, cleaning and well cleaning some more. Here are a few of the simple things in life that God totally blessed us well this weekend!!

1. Food-our landlord is actually a local pastor and their church runs a food ministry...they had quite a bit that was going to go bad so he loaded us up with bread, lunchmeat, fresh broccoli, juice, a pizza....and lots more!!! Praise God!
2. NEW Sink drains
3. Fan and light above the stove
4. stove pans or the things that go under the elements!!
5. We were able to finally get our washer and dryer moved in(we were using the ones that were here and well....when we ran the dryer it smelt like burnt wet dog....not good!!)
6. 'sprinkle' for emma-grandma and grandpa got emma a sprinkler...and she loves it!!

Just a few things to be thankful for! Praise the Lord!

Throughout the years of our marriage God has never cease to provide and more often than not bless abundantly.  We have learned and continue to grow on this adventure with God. Our life by many standards is simple, and honestly God has been teaching us to look for the blessings and honor Him no matter the extravagance or simplicity.  After looking, we almost ALWAYS see Him working in the simple things, so we desire to live simply!

We have lived in nice apartments, with our parents, a spacious 3 bedroom house with huge yard and now a small quaint two bedroom ‘manufactured home’ aka a trailer. We have had two cars, two incomes, eaten out almost daily, spent money on ‘entertainment’ weekly and lived what most people would call a ‘normal’ life(whatever normal is).  

I do want to start off with a disclaimer, I am not saying that any or all of these things are evil, ungodly, less godly or even slightly bad. However, many, if not all of these things, can take your focus and desire off of God, which is a SIN! No, we arent becoming amish (ha ha, I know that is what you are thinking, right?!?!?!) but we have changed alot of the ways that we do things in our home and hopefully this blog will help you see how God is teaching us through these little changes and making a BIG impact our our relationship with Him and with each other

Here are few ways that we are trying to live simply:

1. One income (Michael is a teacher and I am a stay at home mom!)
2. One car (gasp...i know....but one car is less on gas, insurance, maintenence, etc...you get the point)
3. Living with only Two bedrooms-this one isnt so much by choice(because it was what we could afford...one income people), but after only 2 weeks, I can say that God is stretching and growing us in ways we never thought possible...
4. Breastfeeding (both of our children have been breast and bottlefed, and have recieved both breastmilk and formula...but lets face it, breastmilk is FREE!)
5. Making things from scratch(from taco seasoning, cinnamon buns and pizza sauce to bread and snack mix...it tastes better, better for you and once again, CHEAP!)
6. Homemade laundry soap (SMELLS SO GOOD!!!)
7. Cloth diapers(this is new one for us...i hope to share our experiences with this new ‘adventure’ as it comes)

I am sure there other ways and things that God will challenge us to live simply and do! If you have ways that God has shown you how to live in a more simple way...please share! God Bless!

The Stewarts