Happy Birthday Lena!

Here's a quick idea for a birthday celebration. 


Our little guy made his Nanny a homemade card. His Mommy made some cupcakes. 


For the cupcakes I cut the letters of her name out of scrapbook paper, leaving one vertical twice as wide so it could be folded around the toothpick. Tack it down with a glue stick. Stick each toothpick in individual cupcakes and you're done! A personalized presentation goes a long way. 

Happy Birthday Lena!

Have you made a special someone a surprise treat lately? I would love to hear about it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

My Valentine's favorite treat:

Do I get extra wife points for getting sushi when I can't eat it? I'm preggers again by the way ; )


To DIY this next year, buy a box of chocolates tomorrow (so they will be cheapo!), save the box and fill with your favorite take out sushi! 


Yummy!!!!!

I'm baaaack!

Sorry for being M.I.A. I have been busy, tired and a little lazy on top of it all.  So, I'm making the effort and getting back in the saddle so to speak.  Before my unplanned hiatus I promised some birthday pictures and house pictures.  Today we will do birthday...

Birthday Bunting

Kieran's first birthday party could not have been better!  Mom was happy because:
1. Baby was happy, so incredibly happy.
2. My Mom, Dad and Sister (you know her as Auntie) all got to be there!!!
3. It all came together and looked oh so cool.

There were many many other reasons to be happy, but those three topped my list.  My in-laws very graciously hosted the party at their lovely home.  My Mom reminded me before the party that the important thing is to create a party that the kids have fun at.  Thanks Mom, good advice.  Now here are some of the party details.  Mom took over in the photography department so I could keep track of the Birthday Boy, again, thank you.

Yummy yummy in my tummy

We filled glass hurricanes with sweet and salty treats.  The cotton candy cones are stuck into a paper covered box with holes cut into the top.  For the cone, cut a circle out of fun cardstock, cut that in half and roll into a cone.  Tape, and you're ready to add your cotton candy.  We used the cotton candy that comes n a foil bag from the grocery store.  Easy peasy.

Centerpiece 

Use a colorful stuffed animal to decorate your table.  Make a few little boxes (or cover some pre-made boxes) and tie with a bow.  Easy peasy.

Pumpkin decorating, carving was just a little too scary for me...

This was fun...instead of carving pumpkins, thinkin 16 little kids don't really need to be running around with knives...we colored!  We bought one little sugar pumpkin for each child and put out permanent markers in bold colors (we did this activity on the porch, just in case) to decorate them with.  A few of the kids gave their pumpkins to Kieran...very sweet.

Cookie favor bags.

These bags were filled with frosted sugar cookies in the shape of the number 1.  The bags were purchased at Michael's.  I used a paper cutter to cut the contrasting toppers into rectangles that my sister and I folded over the top of each bag securing with a punched piece of paper (we used a glue stick).  Time consuming but easy peasy.

What a difference a year can make!

A sweet little monkey sat on the mantel next to the Birthday Boy's birth announcement.

The Prince's Throne

 Highchair buntings are really easy.  Just cut a bunch of brightly colored fabric into small triangles using  pinking sheers.  Use a ribbon or binding to string them together.  I used a sewing machine but you could easily use iron on hem tape I bet.  Easy peasy.

The cake and decorations

I made a simple yellow cake recipe and filled it with buttercream.  I used pre-made fondant for the outside of the cake because it gives a clean and polished look.  I simply added food coloring and rolled out the fondant, cutting with a circle cookie cutter and popped 'em onto the cake using a bit of water.  For the word ONE, I printed out the word using the font and size I liked, cut out each letter, then used the tip of a knife to trace and cut the letters out of fondant.  Easy peasy.

 

Kieran had his own smash cake.  Piece of advice: have it ready! We didn't and we had an unhappy boy after he blew out the candle on the big cake when he wasn't allowed to eat it.  Turns out, Kieran loves cake, who doesn't, right?!

FUN! Gotta love a ball pit!

 We used a blow up pool and filled it with balls for a fun play space for the kiddos.  This was the hit of the party!  Ease peasy.

Present opening.

 It was fun opening the presents because all the kids helped little Kieran out.  Luckily, Kieran is still pretty cool with sharing!

It's exhausting being one!

We had a wonderful day celebrating our little boy.  He had a blast and slept hard when it was all over.  Yes, it was a lot of work to get all those homemade party details done and it was over before we knew it, but it was worth every second.  The kids had fun, the grown-ups had fun, and most of all it was a great excuse to get a big happy family together.

Have you been planning a party?  How's it going?

Yum, yum...

Now that my little one is turning into a toddler, he is very interested in what his Dad and I are doing.  That includes eating.  That's right, he wants to try everything we have. As long as our food of choice is "safe" for him we have been letting him try it.  At this point he has liked everything we have given him including homemade burrito bowls!  They are very spicy and I let him lick the sauce off my finger...so happy!  This kid is amazing!  So here are some tips for starting finger food for your little one.  

Start with fresh organic vegetables. 

It is often better to steam veggies rather than boil them. Steaming helps preserve the nutrients.  Today I'm making carrots, squash, spinach with onions and sweet potatoes. 

Peel veggies (I love this KithenAid peeler) and dice into small pieces.  **Use the tip of your pinky finger as a size guide. **

  

Bring water to a boil and add veggies to steamer insert/basket.  Cover and steam until very soft.  It is best to steam one vegetable at a time since each type will require a different cooking time.  

Remove from steamer and place in individual containers to freeze.  If you are making a large batch and do not have enough small containers don't worry!  Grab a cookie sheet and line it with parchment or wax paper.  Sprinkle veggies on in a singe layer.  Stick the whole tray in the freezer until frozen (about 2-3 hours).  Then toss into a large zip lock bag.  This will keep the veggies from freezing into one solid mass.  You should be able to grab a single serving easily from the bag.  

I sprinkled a little thyme that my father dried for me (fresh from his garden) after cooking and before freezing.  

Spinach will be too stringy for your little one after it is cooked so you need to puree.  Since I knew I would be adding the spinach into "omelets" for Kieran, I sauteed onion (in olive oil) to puree with the spinach.  

Use a blender or immersion blender to puree.  (Be careful using the immersion blender.  I recently had an accident with mine resulting in a "crime scene" situation in the kitchen and 11 stitches in my left index finger!  YIKES!  All for a few pureed peas, iron fortified peas...)

So, when you are finished pureeing, spoon your spinach/onion mix into an ice cube tray.  There is a lot of spinach in each one of those little cubes.  Freeze and then pop into a zip lock.  

Simply microwave the sweet potatoes individually.  Kieran will eat half of a potato for one meal so it doesn't need to be frozen to preserve.  Just cut into small pieces and stick in the fridge. 

This whole process took less than an hour and Kieran has weeks of homemade fresh food to enjoy!  

The little dude with a little lunch left on his face.

Nothing beats late summer's fresh tomatoes...

Do you have a farm stand nearby?  Or maybe even your own backyard garden (not this city chic)...I had a hankering for fresh tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar after having a conversation with a friend this morning about just that.  So off I went, baby in tow, to the local farmer's market near South Station.  I came across Keown Orchard's booth and could not pass it by.  There, right before my eyes, were the most beautiful tomatoes and the most fragrant basil.  I nearly skipped home (really, I would have, but the 25 pound baby strapped to my chest took a little bounce out of my step) excited to combine the flavors that epitomize summer.

For a simply (and I mean SIMPLE) delicious side dish:
Wash and pat dry tomatoes and basil
Cut the tomatoes in half and place in your serving dish
Roughly chop several basil leaves (not too many, they can be overpowering)
Sprinkle on the basil and your balsamic vinegar (we love O&Co)
Serve and watch the smiles appear...

Homemade food for your homegrown babe...

Are you spending a fortune on jars/packets of organic baby food?  It's as easy to eat through a case of baby food as it is to pick it up at the grocery store.  We realized this when I got a little bit lazy and let my freezer supply of homemade baby food dwindle down to a few lone cubes.  I picked up 2 cases of Earth's Best Organics dinners for $15 (they were on sale) last Sunday for Babies R Us.  It is Friday and we have only 6 left!  Yikes!  Not exactly a price performer.  So if you are thinking the same thing as I am...that's insane for a 24 lb little person who only has 6 teeth, grab your organic veggies, saucepan and ice cube trays.  Let's cook! 


It's so simple: 
Prepare organic fruits/veggies for cooking (peel if necessary)
Place in steamer basket
Steam the heck out of what you are cooking 
Reserve your cooking water
Dump the steamed fruit/veggies into the food processor or blender and blend away
Add cooking liquid to make desired thickness/texture
Plop into a few ice cube trays and freeze


Ta da!  You have just made your baby a healthy meal that he or she is going to love!  Don't forget to take pictures of your little one enjoying your creations! 


I found that my son really enjoyed spices and seasonings right off the bat.  (Of course, make sure your child can tolerate the food alone before adding a spice.) For example:

• Peas - fresh mint (from my Dad's garden)
• Sweet potatoes - cinnamon
• Squash - nutmeg
• Chicken/turkey - sage

We really want to encourage Kieran to enjoy different flavors and textures.  No one likes a picky eater!