Baby's First Year - #NatrelBaboo

Babies go through a lot of growth and development that first year of life and it's amazing watching them grow from a helpless tiny being to a rambunctious running toddler!  The first time they hold their head up, smile, laugh, roll over, eat solids, sit up, crawl all happen within that short period of time.  I've been blessed to go through this twice now.

Taylor was diagnosed with mild hypotonia at 5 months old when I noticed at 4 months that she wasn't holding her head up well and putting zero weight on her legs.  Her first year of life was full of blood tests, ultrasound, MRI and physiotherapy.  She met the usual milestones but just later than other babies and it made it that much more exciting when she did meet them!  I remember the first time she finally got herself into sitting position and then at 10.5 months started crawling which was a big one.  She spoke her first word around 7-8 months then by 13 months or so had about a 45 word vocabulary which is ahead for that age.  We made it through somehow and now at 16 months she's running and fully caught up!

We had difficulty breastfeeding so after months of pumping she ended up on formula (and boy she did not like that transition!)  then at around 12.5 months old I transitioned her to whole milk which she will drink but doesn't have the same love for it as her brother.  Natrel Baboo is a product designed to help with this transition from breastfeeding or formula to whole milk.  It's easier to digest, made from fresh milk and it an excellent source of vitamins.  Also it can be stored at room temperature which is great for moms on the go and toddlers who aren't used to cold milk yet.

Even though Taylor will drink whole milk I offered her a small carton of Natrel Baboo and she happily downed the whole thing, something she doesn't usually do with her regular milk!  So according to her it tastes great and I love that I can toss a box into my diaper bag and not worry about keeping it chilled.

Right now Natrel Baboo is giving away 50,000 free product coupons for you to try the product for yourself. Just visit their facebook page here and hurry up while supplies last!

Disclosure - I am participating in the Baboo Blog Tour by Mom Central Canada of behalf of Natrel.  I received compensation as thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Wonderful Fall Flavors - #LMDConnector

I love fall!  It's definitely my favorite time of year.  The summer heat is behind us and I love going for walks on a crisp sunny day and checking out all the beautiful fall colors around us then cuddling with the family in front of the fireplace on cool evenings.

Another great thing about fall is our yearly visit to the pumpkin patches, corn mazes and apple farms and this year it was actually warm enough to wear shorts.  It's great to be able to pick our own pumpkins and apples straight from where they were grown.  It's equally as great to then turn our handpicked goodies into homemade treats.

I don't cook with pumpkin a lot so I decided to browse the Life Made Delicious website and make the pumpkin crumble cake.  Because it's not after Halloween yet I opted to use canned pumpkin and leave the field picked ones to carve.  I generally stick to baking cookies, bars and muffins rather than cakes but this recipe was really easy.  The store was out of the size can it called for so I bought the bigger one and did a rough measurement.

It was a hit with the whole family!  I did end up using too much pumpkin I think because mine doesn't look cake like in the middle as it does on the website, it's more like a pumpkin pie consistency with some areas that look like cake.  The crumb topping is really good and I don't think the texture ruined the taste.  

I"m looking forward to this season of fall flavors and trying out new rib-sticking stews, chilies and slow cooker meals!

Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Weekly Meal Plan

It's a longish story that I do not wish to tell but I did not go grocery shopping this week.  I will be picking up what I need when I need it but not doing that weekly big shop.  Not only are we stocked up pretty good but I also grabbed a few good deals the other day.  So off the top of my head here's the plan:

1.  A turkey dinner repeat

2.  Turkey Shepard's pie - ground turkey, not leftovers

3.  Turkey Stew

4.  Chicken Legs and Roasted Potatoes - got a great deal on the legs already coated in some sort of spice rub ready to be baked

5.  Chicken Mini Burgers

New Pillsbury Chocolatey Crescents - #LMDConnector

I always wanted to be the kind of mom who'd always have freshly baked goodies on hand at all times for the kids for snacks or just as a treat.  This was, of course, what I thought before actually having kids.  Between the endless piles of laundry, cleaning up spills and putting away toys constantly there's just so little extra time.

Pillsbury has many products that make our lives easier with the newest addition being the Chocolatey Crescents and I was sent some coupons for my family to try them and some extras to share.

They are similar to the original Crescents but with chocolate in the middle and more chocolate drizzled on top and they were really easy to make but the first time I did manage to make a few mistakes but thankfully we have another box!

I forgot to curve the dough on the ends to make them look like crescents, I cut the hole in the bag that the chocolate is squeezed from too big and I put the chocolate on the top before putting them in the oven instead of after (oops)!  So mine look nothing like the ones pictured on the tube but they still tasted chocolately  delicious and the whole family quickly gobbled them up.  

Grab a box today for a quick, and easy breakfast or delicious afternoon snack freshly baked from your oven!  

"Disclosure - I am participating in the Life Made Delicious Ambassador Program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills.  I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion.  The opinions on this blog are my own."

My computer isn't running all that great right now so I'll make this meal plan (a little late!) short and sweet:

1.  Breakfast for dinner - we don't have time to make a big breakfast in the morning so why not for dinner

2.  Baked Banana Oatmeal - I will have to post the recipe as I can't find it but I make it ahead of time for breakfast and the kid love it!

3.  Chili Sauced Pineapple Pork - can't find this either

4.  Snappy Pineapple Chicken - never made it and the ingredient list looks big but it's a slow cooker recipe so can't be that bad

5.  Cottage Meatloaf - I was never really a meatloaf person but I love this meatloaf

6.  Chili Stuffed Peppers - can't find the recipe I use

Stay tuned for more fall favorites!

Meal Plan

So the last 2 weeks plans weren't posted because the one week was spent just eating up whatever we could around the house without buying much more food as we weren't going to be around for a week and didn't want to leave a bunch of stuff in the fridge and the second week was spent at a cabin eating foods we wouldn't normally eat on a regular basis.

For this week we're having:

1.  Veggie lasagna from the freezer made previously

2.  Pasta with frozen sauce

3.  Slow cooker chicken fajita - quick and easy!  

4.  Tuna cakes

5.  Shipwreck - this is not the exact recipe I"m following but it's really really close.  

I will be going out of town for the weekend which is I'm using some easy stuff from the freezer for hubby to make while I'm gone and he's left in charge of the kids!

Planning and Packing for Vacation with Toddlers!

Today I'm spending the day packing and preparing to leave tomorrow for one week at a cabin on a lake with private beach.  I've done this many times in the past but before having kids and it was a LOT easier then!

We always have a meal plan for the week complete with shopping list and everything bought ahead of time and even some stuff prepared and frozen.  It's taken a few weeks just to do this and I had no meal plans the last 2 weeks since I was focusing on using up leftovers or heating up previously frozen meals.  I also write up lists of other important items such as clothing and toiletries.  Being in a cabin means not having to pack bedding and cookware or dishes though we're taking the kids plates and stuff.  

I think doing all this with both kids underfoot is about 10 times the work of doing the same with no kids.  I have to keep stopping what I'm doing to take them off the back of the sofa, break up a fight, tend to who's crying, feed and change them or see what they're up to when it's quiet.  

The weather at the lake for the week looks hot and sunny so we're happy that it'll still be summer for us which means sunhats, sunscreen and sunshades!  Thankfully there's a bigger town 20 min away from where we're staying in case we forget something (which is pretty likely).  

Stay tuned for more recipes, meal plans and product reviews next week!  In the meantime I'll be working on my tan as I have yet to get some color this year!