Disposable Diaper Comparison and Review

As much as I would love to do cloth diapers full time, it is just not in the cards for me right now. Busy life + 2 in diapers = disposable diapers. I have heard G diapers are a good compromise between the two, but I can't afford them, so regular disposies are in our house. So far I have tried Pampers, Huggies, Walmart brand Parent's Choice, Target brand (now Up&Up), Walgreen's brand, Luvs, and Kroger brand-both the el cheapo ones as well as the comfy ones.

When you are looking for diapers you have one major question to ask- will this leak?

Whether or not a diaper will leak on your baby is dependant on
1. absorbing quality
2. fit- snug around the legs and back end of the diaper
3. how often you change them

Hopefully you change your baby frequently enough that the 3rd shouldn't be a second thought. So I am judging by fit and absorbency.

Of all the diapers I have tried I have found Pampers and Huggies to be the best. Of course these are the most expensive, so if you can afford it I would recommend you try one of these. With my first son, Pampers were the best fit, while my second son fit the Huggies better. As with all diapers, you will need to try them both out to find out what fits your baby the best.

The Pampers Swaddlers are the best for small newborns. They squish down well in between their little legs. Their cute feet can actually touch! Ahhh... this is taking me back to the newborn days! Love it!

I tried Luvs because my sister loved them, but was not impressed. My sister has girls, and I have boys, so maybe Luvs are better for girls? Supposedly they are a step above store brand, but I beg to differ. The fit was good, and they absorbed a lot, because they are so thin, I didn't like to let them get very full at all before changing. Not good for at night for heavy wetters. Very thin, which can be good, but flimsy. It seemed to me that there were more of those chemical absorbing beady things inside the diaper, and they have a strong chemical smell to me. I do NOT want more chemicals near my baby! For this reason alone, I don't recommend these.

Don't even try the Walgreens brand if they are the same from two years ago! Terrible! Explosive! Need I say more?

The Walmart brand is Parent's Choice, although, I don't know necessarily that they are a parent's first choice. I have used them. They work fine. The fit is not great in the back. The legs fit my boys fine. I didn't have explosive poopers, so the looser back wasn't a big deal. If you have one, you might have some blow-outs. Absorbency is good. I have super soakers, and most of the time these did just fine. During the night time we did have to use either a larger diaper or a better quality diaper. If you think about it, even though you have to spend a little more on a brand name diaper, you are saving time, energy, water, as well and money by not having to wash the sheets every day! But like I said, my boys are super soakers- you may not have that issue. And if you don't, these things are cheap.

Kroger brand diapers were all that I used for a while. When money was really tight we bought the cheapest ones. The ones in the yellow bag that have the Spanish writing on it. At the time I think they were about $5.99 for a normal 35ish size package. I am is Texas, so it may not be that cheap everywhere, but worth looking into if you are extremely short on cash. These are a little cheaper than the Walmart ones, but about the same in quality I would say. Not a big enough difference that I could tell anyway.

Once we had a little more money I switched to the other Kroger brand- I think they are called Comforts. Still low priced- similar to Walmart in price, but a little better in quality. They fit my boys a little better than Walmart's. I like these and would recommend them to anyone.

Target brand Up & Up is what I use mostly now. I buy the big yellow and white box for about $13.50. I get 70 size 5 diapers. This lasts us maybe a week? I put both my boys in the 5's. It is so much easier to have just one size of diapers! They are a little big on the 9 mo. old, but he doesn't care! Anyway, these are great diapers, and not expensive. They fit well, and they are absorbent enough to last though the night (unless we overdo the juice too close to bed time). They have these cute polka dots on them too! Who needs Pooh Bear or Micky Mouse when they can have super stylish polka dots?! I really like these diapers and they are near the top of my recommendation list.

So to sum up, here is my list of diapers from best to worst(I would recommend the top5):

1.Huggies
2.Pampers (close tie with Huggies, but someone had to go first)
3.Target brand Up&Up
4.Kroger brand Comforts
5. Walmart brand Parent's Choice
6. Kroger brand in yellow bag
7. Luvs
8. Walgreens brand

I haven't yet tried CVS, Albertsons, Tom Thumb or any other grocery store brand or any natural chlorine free types from Sprouts or Whole Foods. There are probably some other good brands out there, but I just haven't tried them. I don't go out of my way to buy diapers. That is why for a long time I bought the Walmart brand diapers because I didn't want to go to a whole different store just to buy diapers. We didn't get a Target in our city until a few months ago, so it has been really nice to go shopping there. I don't do all my grocery shopping there, but I do like to get some things there, so it is still worth the trip. I still get diapers from Kroger and Walmart of occasion, but not very often. I like Target's too much!

Fasting Update

So my juice feast before Christmas didn't go so well. I'm not entirely sure why, but I am thinking it might have had something to do with not liking the vegetable juices as much as the sweet, from the store, juices that I used before. I sweetened them with fruit every time, but I guess it wasn't enough. I think maybe also the amounts I took the juice in had an impact. With the first fast, I would alternate water and store bought juice about every hour (or more often) and each glass was about 8-10oz each. With the juice feast, I used my juicer to juice all types of fruits, veggies and greens. I would juice about a liter 3 times a day. I would drink about half a liter for breakfast, then finish that liter mid-morning. Then I would do about another half liter for lunch, then finishing that liter mid-afternoon, and the same cycle for dinner and evening snack. I had major trouble at dinner times when I had to make dinner for my husband and son. I am afraid I gave into temptation! However, this was my first juice feast, and I wasn't 100% raw food when I started. Actually, I wasn't even 50% raw! That was my other issue I think. It is much more difficult to juice feast if you are not first majorly into raw foods. I'm sure that it is much easier to do a juice feast when you don't have to cook for other people! AHHH! Even though I did not totally accomplish what I set out to do, I still feel that it was worth my while and worth the knowledge I gained from it. I can now use this knowledge to be more sucessful on my next juice feast. And I lost 2lbs to boot!!!

Some Yummy Looking Raw Recipes

I haven't tried these yet, but they look great!

http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/raw-food-recipes.html

Raw Chips Recipe

http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2008/09/kale-crisps.html

Day 2 of 3 Day Juice Feast

Well, today I had the same problem. Come dinnertime I just HAD to eat SOMETHING. I think I would have been okay if I had made something that didn't waft through the house so much. I feel like I let myself down. To fail something once isn't TOO bad, but doing it again so soon is just terrible! I have thoguht a lot about why this happened. Why I can't be 100% successful at this juice feast, and I think part of it has to do with some kind of emotional eating pattern I have programed in me. I find it interesting that when I ate a little of the dinner, I felt bad, not just because I had not followed through with the fast, but because after I ate it, I realized I really didn't like it that much. I didn't enjoy eating it. I am really bummed that I have not been 100% liquid. I am still going to juice tomorrow, but I don't really know what will happen in the evening because we are going Christmas carloing with my family, and they usually have treats and hot chocolate. I think I will be strong enough to turn down any sweets, as long as I keep some fruit sweetened juice with me. My mom is trying to stay away from sugar too, so she will help me be strong. I am really discouraged, but I will continue on! I said I would go for three days, so that is what I will do. Not just because I said it on this blog, but because I told myself that. I have discovered that I need to follow through on the things I tell myself. I always do everything in my power to follow through when it comes to everyone but myself. I deserve the same as what I do for other people. I have had problems with following through for a long time. Something goes wrong and I quit. I'm not doing that this time.

Morning Juice:

about 1/2 a box of spinach
1 grapefruit
1 orange
4 carrots
3 celery stalks
2 stevia packets
I wouldn't recommend this combo. Adding the grapefruit was a mistake. I still drank it though.

Afternoon Juice:

1/2 cucumber
a few handfuls collard greens
4 apples
2 carrots
4 celery stalks and a bunch of celery leaves
a handful of parsley
I could definately taste the parsley, but it wasn't bad.

My soid food was a little baked chicken and a small salad- not great, I know.

Evening juice was about 8 oz canteloupe juice made from a whole cantelope.

Day 1 of 3 Day Juice Feast

Well day one went very well for the most part. I enjoyed some great juices and I really didn't feel hungry until about 5:00pm when I had to make dinner for my family. I made them meatballs for BBQ meatball sandwiches and cooked carrots. I did really good untill my son wouldn't finish the his plate of plain meatballs. Yes....I finished them off. But it was only 2 meatballs. Wow, I feel like I am confessing some terrible transgression! Later that night I was really truly hungry even after haveing some juice. So, I had a small apple. The majority of the day went so well, but the evening was killer! How did it go so well the first time I did this? What is the difference? The only different thing that I can tell is the type of juice. I drank dilluted store bought juice for the last fast. You would think that I would be lass hungry with all the greens in the juices I've been making. In day 1 alone I polished off almost an entire box of spinach and about half a bag of collard greens. I was so sure that THIS feast would go so much better than the last. Boy was I wrong! Well, I'll think on it some more later. I am still plan on juicing tomorrow and the next day even though I "cheated".I the mean time, here are the juices I made thoughout the day. I made about 1 liter each for the morning, afternoon and evening.

Morning Juice:

6 carrots
5 stalks of celery
2 medium apples
1 large orange
almost half a box of baby spinach
I really liked this one. It seemed to be a good balence of flavors.

Afternoon Juice:

1 apple
1 large orange
4 celery stalks
7 carrots
several handfuls of collard greens
This had too much carrot for my taste, but it wasn't bad tasting.

Evening juice:

1 entire cantelope
1 apple
4 celery stalks
several handfulls of spinach and collard greens
3 carrots
I liked this one too.

Kate's Top Ten Reasons to Juice Feast or Juice Fast

So I have come up with what are, for me, the top ten reasons to juice feast. They are in no particular order.

1. You will let your digestive system rest from all the junk you have put into it over the years. We let our bodies rest after a long day by sleeping at the end of the day, we also need to give our digestive tract a rest every once in a while.

2. You will open the doors to healing your body. Since your body doesn't have to work so hard digesting solid food, your body can kick any healing it needs into high gear.

3. Weight loss (a personal favorite of mine). Some of this will actually be fat loss and some will be toxic junk that is being cleaned out of your body. I don't think any of this comes from muscle or water weight, but I am not an expert, so who knows? It would not make sense, however, that you would lose water weight, seeing as you are drinking a lot of juices and water. Although, you might release water weight if it is being retained due to toxins. The amount of toxins flushed out is probably also dependant on how much organic produce you use.

4. Mental clarity. I didn't even realize I had a "foggy" brain until I juice feasted for two days. It is really amazing how much clearer you can think. I feel smarter.: ) Maybe this is why so many juice feasters find solutions to problems or suddenly get in tune with their spirituality. They are able to really, clearly, focus on just thinking.

5. Juice feasting is like spring cleaning your body. We (well most of us) wouldn't dream of having a messy or dirty house, but our bodies get left out of the picture sometimes. We also will spend hundreds of dollars and copious amounts of time beautifying our exterior. Don't our bodies deserve the same attention on the inside as on the outside?

6.Juice feasting will infuse your entire body with nutrients, enzymes and antioxidants! (Another favorite of mine.)Who doesn't need this? The majority of the American population is possibly, if not probably, malnourished because of the type of foods we are consuming on a daily basis. You may say, "Oh, but I eat my veggies with dinner" or "I eat a salad every day for lunch". Well, your dinnertime vegetable is most likely cooked, and therefore many of the nutrients aren't there anymore. And that salad? Well chances are there is a lot of iceberg lettuce in it, which doesn't have a lot of nutrition either, and it is also probably smothered in yummy ranch dressing. Certainly supplements can help, but in my opinion, supplements are not near as good as the real thing! Sometimes they are not absorbed very well, and depending on the supplement it can be synthetic. Yuck! So it's time to pump up the nutrition people! You CAN do it!

7. Your immune system will be given a much needed boost. This is very important! No one likes to be sick. If your immune system is strong, your body will be able to fight off the illnesses that cross your path. You will either not get sick, or your sickness will be quite mild in comparison to what it would have been if you didn't have a strong, healthy immune system.

8. Juice feasting also creates an awareness and a thankfulness for food. You sure are thankful once you start eating again, right? But it's not just that, it is more of a mindset you have when you eat. I have found that I have a new appreciation and respect for the food I am eating.

9. I have found that for me, juice feasting is like a restart button for my food cravings and for my eating habits in general. (Also a favorite of mine.) My mom was sick with the flu a few weeks ago, and something she said to me really stuck with me. She had been going about a week with no food, just some water and juices, and said that when she started eating again, she didn't have the cravings for sugar that she once had. I found that the same thing happened to me when I did my two day juice fast. I didn't crave sugar or chocolate! That is HUGE for me! (Especially the chocolate!) The cravings have come back, but it was over several days, and probably only because I chose the reintroduce the sugar. Anyway, I am really looking forward to the cravings being gone again. It is a very good feeling to feel freedom from food. Food doesn't had to control you anymore.

10. I have also found that I can eat less now. This has helped me keep off the 4 pounds I lost while on my first feast. I haven't gained it back, and in fact I have lost another pound since the feast! I give all credit to the after effects of the juice feast. The ability to eat less and the no cravings was what did it for sure!

These are the things I have found to be benefitial for me from my first juice feast. I know I will find more and more perks along the way. Happy feasting!

Preparing to Juice Feast

Okay, I look REALLY crappy on that last video! I just got out of the shower. Remind me never to do a video again with wet hair and no make-up. Well, I've got my produce- all except my greens. I do have a bunch of spinach, but I need a lot more and some different types of greens. I am really excited about this feast! I have been feeling in need of nourishment, specifically in need the the nutrition from greens juice. My body craves it. It's a different craving than craving, say, sugar or chocolate (my biggest hurdle). It's like my body is able to really say what it needs now, and not have sugar and chocolate intercept the signal. I attribute that almost entirely to the two day juice feast I did a few weeks ago. It seemed to have reset my body. I'll say more on that in a later post. So I start tomorrow and will break my feast Monday morning or later if I feel like continuing. I don't think I will continue with Christmas coming up, but we shall see. Keep a look out for My top 10 reasons to juice feast!

Better Body Challenge to Finally Lose the Weight!!!

Okay, so my starting weight was 213 lbs, and I have already lost 10 lbs since July. So that puts me at 203lbs. That first 10 lbs took sooooo long to lose! But I am ready to step it up and really work hard (yep, ya gotta work for it people). So my first goal is to fit in to my jeans that I fit into before I got pregnant with my last baby. I think they were a size 18/20. (Non stretchy type material, just so you know.) I think I was about 195 or 196, but I think I can fit into the jeans snugly at 198/199, so my first goal is to get to at least 199 by Christmas Day. So 4 lbs. to lose. So I have 8-9 days to lose 4 lbs, which is maybe asking too much, but I think since I will be doing a juice feast this weekend to let my system rest and pump up the nutrition before the Christmas cookies come rolling out, I will be able to do it. Below is a video that gives a better view of pre-weight-loss body. If you are wondering why I am not wearing a bikini or something like that it is because I don't even own a bikini and I am very modest anyway. Kind of a religious thing. Also I have stretch marks that would make a blind man run for the hills!!! : ) I just decided to wear a shirt that is tight on me now, and will hopefully be loose on me very soon!

An Atempt at a Juice Feast

Well, I decided to start a three day juice feast today. Actually I decided yesterday to start it today. It went really well until about 4:00pm when I realised I didn't have enough produce in the house to make juice with, and I wasn't in a position to make a quick run to the store. But it ended up being okay because when I came to that pivital moment when I had to make a desision about whether to eat something or just continue with water until I could get to the store, I was able to pause for a moment and really ask my body what it needed more-food or liquid. I came to the conclution that I would go ahead and eat a small dinner. I just felt like I had been well hydrated, and didn't feel I could go much longer on just water. So no, not a real juice feast, but I did learn that my body will let me know what it needs if I am in tune to it's needs. I did second guess myself for a minute wondering if I was just needing an emotional fix. So I took a look back at my day and realized nothing really happened that pushed my emotional stability to the brink of sanity. I had a truly wonderful day feasting on the juices of the fruits of the earth. I felt uplifted both mentally and spiritually, and I felt cleaner. The clarity of mind while juicing is so refreshing! And this is from only a few days of consuming juice- not even full fledged juice feasting! If you are at all curious about juice feasting, just give it a try! Just start with a day, then extend for as long as your body needs. I think what I will be doing is gradually increase my juicing days. I'll just play it my ear (or body) and enjoy the journey. That's what it's all about after all!

I Got a Juicer!!!/ Juicer Review

Whoo hoo! I finally got myself a juicer on Friday, and since then, I have been juicing like there is no tomorrow! I bought a Waring Pro Juice Extractor from Target for about $70ish.

Pros: Easy to assemble,not too many pieces, not too loud (although I have not actually ever heard another juicer other than this one, I anticipated it to be much louder, but is more quiet than my blender, fast (this thing eats 'em up and spits 'em out), looks very nice on the counter top(okay so this isn't the most important thing, but I like that stainless steel look- so fancy).

Cons: the blade thingy is difficult to clean, but from what I hear that is typical of all juicers of this variety (the little brush they give you in the box is certainly worth keeping), the juice comes out a little foamy(however this doesn't bother me much, I just scoop the top off), I have noticed the pulp isn't perfectly dry, and occasionally pieces get shot into the pulp area without being juiced, with this juicer you cannot use a plastic bag to collect the pulp(only takes a couple more minutes to wash it out, but if that bothers you get another juicer).

Conclusion: If you want perfectly dry pulp, and perfect juice, go buy yourself a perfectly expensive machine. But if you are just starting our juicing, it is just fine to start out with a cheaper one. I really like the one I bought, but there are others that are similarly priced that will work well too.


My first juice was a plain orange juice, then that same night I made an orange celery one, which was awesome! Totally loved that hint of celery! Yum! I think that is my new fav. Yikes! That orange pulp is crazy hard to get out of the blade thing! I tried oiling it with a little olive oil the second time, and that seemed to help a little.

My second day I made some major apple juice spiked with celery, spinach, some salad greens. Then today, my morning juice was about the same as the day before, but with a little more of the green, healthy stuff. This evening I used 2 apples, about 5 stalks of celery, a couple hand fulls of spinach and greens, and an entire cucumber. I was going to try some cilantro, but I forgot until after I had already started cleaning up.

Well, I look forward to tomorrows journey in juicing, and I hope you will consider giving juicing a try if you have not already. It is really amazing how much better you feel when you consume that type of nutrition! It is like is directly absorbed into you cells! I came down with a cold on Friday, and today is Sunday, and I am almost completely better! I am drastically better from yesterday, that is for sure! It is really interesting the change that has taken place in me just from these past couple days. I can see maybe doing a short juice feast this week, so stay tuned! I still have a lot to learn and experience in the juicing world, but I look forward to the journey!

Back from Branson

So we are back from Branson. Whew! What a trip! I am so terribly glad to be home. The trip up to Branson went very well the first half, but then the kiddos got cranky and the only thing that calmed them was my secret weapon...my top secret silly songs kid CD from Walmart. Works like a charm almost every time. As soon as they realize it is playing-silence. So once we got there, we discovered to our dismay, that we were to sleep on a terrible pull out sofa in one of the living areas with our two napping children, while all the other families got their own beds and bedrooms! We were practically sharing the room with one couple that had a little baby girl. They walked through our room constantly because that was the only way to the main living area. I could tell they kind of felt bad about that,though. No one else from my husband's family came, so it was kind of like my sister in law's husband's family reunion, if that makes sense. So combine all that with shows interrupted by naughty children, we were so outa there come Friday! The trip home started out well- the boys were asleep! We only stopped once for lunch, and then I sat in the back to entertain the rest of the way. I will definitely say that the lap top movies were a total hit with my two year old. I am glad that the next trip we take both boys will be in front facing car seats so they can both see the movie. That will help tremendously! Well, that kinda sums it up. On with life!

A Green Mama is a Good Mama: My Cloth Diapering Revolution

In the past few years, "going green" has become "the thing" to do. Whether you are genuinely wanting to help the environment, trying to save a few bucks for the ever looming tax season, or you are just in it for those fabulous green grocery bags, you have probably made efforts to become more "green". Whatever your reasons, improving our environment by doing (or not doing)certain things is admirable.

I have tried to do my part by using less paper towels, doing my washing and drying in HE front loaders, turning down the thermostat, turning off lights, and using earth-friendly cleaners. I think the most adventurous of them all has been using cloth diapers.

It had never crossed my mind to use cloth diapers. Ever. I never saw my mom use them (although I found out later she did use them for a short time with my older sister before I was born) and I only knew of one family who had used them, but never actually saw them in use.

I was searching that wonderful world wide web one day while my first bouncing baby boy was napping, and somehow came across an article about cloth diapering. There were testimonials, examples of how easy it was to do, lists of all the chemicals found in disposable diapers and the risks of such chemicals, and the most persuasive of all... the charts of how much money I would save by cloth diapering! I could save enough to feed a small third world country (or at least the children)! Money was also huge in convincing my husband to give it a go.

The idea of saving so much money was very appealing, but it was only part of the reason I wanted to try out cloth diapering. I found it fascinating! I know that sounds really strange, but I thought it sounded kind of fun! I found it so interesting that for thousands of years cloth diapers (or no diapers) were the norm. That is what people did. It wasn't disgusting, gross, or looked on as unsanitary. I wanted to see for myself what it was like to cloth diaper my baby. I guess maybe it made a distant historical world come alive for me. To have a glimpse of how my ancestors cared for their babies. It was all a big adventure.

And so my adventure began! I drove to my nearest Walmart and picked up a pack of Gerber prefolds, diaper pins, and vinyl plastic pants. Wow, I had no idea what I was doing. That is for sure! I was so excited, but my excitement soon turned to frustration when the pins stuck, the plastic pants tore, and the prefolds leaked.

I was a little put out, but didn't give up. I did hours of research and joined a diaper sewing yahoo group. Not long afterwards, I sewed myself some fancy fitted pocket diapers made of scraps I had around the house(tight budget and flannel (on sale), sewed some covers, and went to Sam's and bought myself some new and improved microfiber towels from the automotive department. This worked quite well, and I was very proud of myself for sewing all those lovely fitted pockets.

I did that system of stuffing the fitted pockets and using a cover (or many times when around the house, no cover)for quite some time. I really liked doing it most of the time. There was an occasional poopy diaper that just about did me in, but other than that, things went fairly well.

Washing the diapers was interesting. I did have some stink issues, but was able to resolve them. It turns out microfiber towels are very talented at holding in stink! I would have liked to have bought a diaper sprayer to spray the poop off with, but it wasn't in the budget. It would have been nice to have quality, brand name diapers, but my home made ones got me by just fine.

I eventually bought enough PUL to make regular pocket diapers (with the waterproof layer built in). Whoo hooo! I was moving up in the cloth diapering world! I also bought my first pattern- the Chloe's Toes pattern. One of the best purchases I made in the realm of cloth diapers. I made some Chloe's Toes diapers with some variations to see what types I like best. I was using hook and loop instead of snaps like the pattern called for, so it took a little trial and error to find what I liked the best. (I'll post my variations for comparison later.)

I found a whole bunch of wool sweaters at my favorite thrift store for dirt cheap, and have made two longies and one short wool cover. So adorable and fuzzy! I have yet to make the rest of them up for lack of time. I also have a bunch of pocket diapers (already cut out)that are hanging over me as well.


So to sum up, I did cloth with my first son from about 7 months until I became pregnant with my second son, and it was just too much for me at the time. Whenever I felt well enough, and had the energy, I would pull them out for a while. While awaiting baby No. 2 I sewed as much as I could manage and tried to get enough diapers ready for two little ones.

So after my second son was born, I was ready once again to go to cloth, but to my dismay after one day in total cloth, I ran out of diapers! Every one was dirty! Who knew boys could pee so much.

So, in the here and now, I have a bunch of cloth diapers sitting in the boy's dresser. And guess what... they just sit there. They are not being used at the moment. Bad green mama (as I slap my wrist)!!! A person can only do so much, and I have discovered this recently (and I am reminded quite often).
I hardly have time to squeeze in a shower let alone sew up a stash of diapers. So I just keep trying to find a moment to sew a diaper here and a diaper there. I am hoping that by January/February I will have enough to try again. My new green mama motto: I'll try again in 2010!

Kate

Raw Food Wannabe: Green Smoothie Rave

I am so wanting to go 80 to 90% raw, organic food, but alas, it is not in the funds! However, I have come to the realization that it is OKAY not to be 100% raw! Whatever improvement I make in that direction is going to make me that much healthier.

I was watching a video on you tube were David Wolf said that(I'm not directly quoting here, just paraphrasing) having an all or nothing attitude is dangerous. he specifically said that you DON'T have to be 100% raw vegan if you are not in a position to. You will definitely still see health benefits! I can testify to this personally. While going 100% raw would be fantastic, I have felt better in just adding a green smoothie everyday. I try to get in one green smoothie everyday (usually for breakfast). It gives me so much energy, which is huge for me because I had a hard time finding the energy to accomplish basic tasks like dishes, laundry, and even spending as much time with my kids as I should.

I would suggest to anyone who wants to add greens as well as more raw fruit into their diet, EAT GREEN SMOOTHIES!!! They are so easy to make and a very easy way to get some awesome nutrition into your kids! You can make it nice and thick by adding more ice or bananas and create a fruity ice cream. I know what you are thinking, "my kids won't touch anything green with a ten foot pole!" Blueberries are very good at disguising the greenness. You can try the super hero approach and tell them (especially good for boys) that it is a Hulk smoothie! If the Hulk drinks it, it must be good, right? Or maybe a witches brew is more up your alley? Worth a try.

You can also use the frog in the boiling pot approach. Just start out by adding a couple leaves of spinach. Each time add a little more until you reach a satisfactory amount. The greens are much less noticeable if you add them slowly. I have also found that my 2 year old will never turn down a Popsicle! Make the smoothie, and if they don't eat it, pour it into Popsicle molds and pull it our later for a healthy snack or a treat after dinner.

You could also experiment with chocolate smoothies and adding greens to those. The brownness will hide the green, and who the heck can turn down chocolate?! You can also try having your kids actually help make the smoothie. Kids LOVE to help out and if they help make it themselves, they will probably be more willing to taste it. Helpers like to help themselves to what they make.

My mom never made green smoothies, but it was always a treat when she made banana ice cream! Yum!!! She would fill the blender about halfway with FROZEN bananas, then add orange juice for the liquid and maybe a little honey and vanilla. There are so many terrific green smoothie recipes out there, but honestly, I usually just throw stuff in the blender. I do follow a basic list though. This is what I usually do:

Kate's Green Smoothie:
Fill blender halfway (yes halfway, this is for me, not for my boys. I would probably put a little less if it was for them so it would not be as noticeable)with your choice of greens. I have tried and liked spinach, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, and rainbow something or other, I can't remember the name. You can do just one type or do a mixture.

Then add some liquid (usually water, but you can do any kind of milk or juice)to just about cover blades. Sometimes I have to add more later on. Then I do a couple squirts of flaxseed oil to get in my omega-3's. I like to add my sweetener at this point because I like to use frozen fruit and when the smoothie gets so cold from the fruit, it is not as easily dispersed, but you can add it later. Either way is fine, I've done both. I like to use agave nectar or raw honey. I tried stevia, but wasn't wild about it in the smoothie (I do like it in other things).

Then I blend this concoction together until all the greens are nice and blended. If I had a fancy Vita Mix or Blendtec, I wouldn't have to do it this way, but I only have a ordinary blender. I have found that with my ordinary blender, I can get the greens in smaller pieces if I blend the greens before I add the fruit.

So after I blend the greens, I add my fruit, which is usually 1-2 frozen bananas and about a cup or so of another type of fruit like strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, mango, or whatever fruit you like. I have discovered that I like to do 2 frozen bananas with non-frozen of the other type of fruit. If you want to use all frozen fruit, you will almost definitely have to add more water. My blender begs for more water if I do all frozen fruit. If I do all frozen fruit, I also might use a little less banana. I use the frozen banana specifically because I like the consistency and the pleasant sweetness it adds. So creamy!!!

At this point I taste test (you always have to taste what you are making, of course!). I usually end up adding more sweetener, not that I need it. Then kick up my heels and enjoy! : )

Thanksgiving Day Ideas for Toddlers

Well, our family is going to be in Branson, Missouri for Thanksgiving. not really sure what we will be doing, but it is almost certain it won't be entirely toddler/baby friendly. What's a mother to do? I will have to come up with some toddler-mind entrancing activities, that's for sure. Any suggestions? I'm thinking hand turkeys where you trace out the child's hand and then make the cut out hand into a turkey. Maybe a thankgiving tree, where the cut out hands are the leaves and you write something you are thankful for on each leaf. That one might be a little over his head. I'll definately be singing the turkey songs. If he were just a little older, it would help a lot. Oh, well. I'll let you know what happens. Pictures soon to come. I started sewing a bib with turkeys on it with orange ric rac around the edge, but I was trying to wing it without a pattern, so I'll post a picture as soon as I get the patter. It will be mega cutness when completed. Kate

Fun Thanksgiving Songs

Here are two songs to sing with your kids. I'll type out the words and try to find a recording so you can hear what they are supposed to sound like. If I can't find it, I'll see if I can sing it for you, or you can get creative and make up your own tune! These would also be fun to sing in preschool, elementary school, or girl scouts. I don't know where they came from. My mom always sang them to us growing up. Here they are:

FIVE FAT TURKEYS
Five fat turkeys are we
we slept all night in a tree
when the cook came around
we couldn't be found
and that's why we're here, you see!

WHAT DOES MR. TURKEY SAY?
What does Mr. Turkey say?
gobble, gobble, gobble.
"I don't like Thanksgiving Day!"
gobble, gobble, gobble.
"Why is it that you feel this way?"
gobble, gobble, gobble.
"Because I want my head to stay!"
gobble, gobble, gobble.

It's a Big World Baby

This is so adorable! My boys love it. Even the 7 month old! Enjoy!

A Mother Like You

Hey everyone out there in mommyland! I am Kate, a mother like you. I have two beautiful, energetic boys, ages 2 and 7 months. My husband and I try our best to be good, loving parents through all the tantrums and runny noses. I look forward to sharing my experiences and insights with you in my wonderful journey through motherhood! Hugs, Kate