The Mom's Book of Worries

All kids love playdough, but most kids run out way before your ready to buy more. So here is the easy instructions you can use to make your own. Be sure to store it in an air tight container. (You can even recycle butter tubs for this purpose.)

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Flour
• 1/2 Cup Salt
• 1 Cup Water

(Wheat flour will make a sand colored dough that kids will love!)

Directions:

• Combine Flour and Salt in large bowl
• Pour in water and mix until you reach desired consistency
• That's It! Your ready to play!

If your dough starts to dry out just knead in more water. This kind of playdough does not last as long as it's cooked counterparts.
No problem add a few ingredients and steps and you can have anything you want. Here is another recipe that is more like the store bought kind.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Flour
• 2 Cups Warm Water
• 1 Cup Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Cream of Tarter
• Food Coloring (2 packages KoolAid can be used as well)

All my items are clean, stain free (as far as I can tell) and from my loving smoke free home. They start at a bid of $1.00 and have very low shipping rates. Efleaa has such great specials that I am able to keep costs down so I am passing the savings along as these are tight times for everyone.

I am always at a loss for lunch. I come up with interesting or healthy snacks  like grapes, cheese sticks, pretzels, etc but lunch comes and I end up repeating a snack choice. So I was delighted to read the following ideas from Lil' duck duck dot com...

• Leftovers from dinner!
• Sandwiches on whole grain wheat bread
  • Peanut butter and jelly if they are eating peanuts
  • Grilled cheese
  • Deli meat & cheese
  • Any sort of melt is especially good, since Lil’ Duck loves to disassemble his sandwiches.

• Fish sticks (especially with various dipping sauces, Lil’ Duck likes ketchup or bbq sauce but you can try anything you like, ranch dressing is a hit among many of his friends).
• French fries – we actually get the healthy potato wedges with the olive oil so it’s all real potatoes and not a ton of grease and sodium.
• Fruits – pretty much anything sliced up at this age is fine, barring allergies.
• Yogurt (we still mix pureed fruit in as Lil’ Duck isn’t a fan of plain fruit, also mix in cereals and vitamins).
• Crackers with cheese (melted in the microwave for a few seconds to keep them together) or cream cheese (you could do pasturized soft cheese, but I’m still wary personally).
• Rice cakes – Lil Duck would eat these all day if I let him. We get the unsalted ones and put anything on top or just let him eat it plain. I also showed him how to break off pieces and scoop up spinach dip and tuna.
• Low-sodium soups – veggie soup, chicken soups, etc – can be an easy way to get protein and veggies in. I usually offer the little guy the chunky parts and drain the liquid or eat it myself – if I want him to have broth, I put it in a cup with a straw. It’s just too messy otherwise, but it’s your house .
• Pasta and sauce is always a hit – I mix pureed veggies in spaghetti sauce, melt cheese (we use rice cheese for the dairy allergy) over top, mix in some shredded meat, etc. Mac and Cheese is a hit for many – we have to get the rice version, but there are a lot of healthy mac and cheese mixes out there now as well.
  • Lil’ Duck also likes the ravioli/tortellini from the pre-made store packages, with or without sauce. We get the chicken or pesto ones most of the time, but there are also cheese-filled ones for those without dairy issues.
• We also like the little microwavable meals from Gerber or the health food store – the adult meals like Chef Boyardee have too much sodium and junk, but the baby meals are pretty good.
• Tortillas – wraps, burritos, etc – an easy way to make leftovers interesting and can make for a wide variety of lunches.
• Speaking of burritos, we keep the frozen bean burritos in the freezer for a quick meal. Lil’ Duck likes them with chips and salsa .

To see the complete post or view others by lil' duck duck, go to http://lilduckduck.com/toddler-lunch-ideas-wfmw/303

Thanks for reading and I hope this helps give you ideas as well. I can use all I can get since Junior is a picky eater.

My son recently learned how to wink, and his way of tilting his head, screwing up his mouth and closing that one eye is just plain hilarious!

Click here to view this photo book larger

This weekend is the day we give to Dad. The day we say thanks for all his quiet assurance. This year, like so many others, I created a book of memories for my husband. It is full of our family pictures, events, and even poetry!

It is always amazing to see a grown man cry, and seeing that as he looked at his book of memories was all the thanks I needed! I know it was early, but half the fun is sharing it with work friends too. I have used other services, but nobody compares to Shutterfly so far.

Dedicating your baby in church has been a long tradition. Starting with biblical days of Mothers bringing their infants to the prophets for blessings. As Mothers we ask for help where can get it and what better place?

We dedicated our daughter this past Sunday and by doing so made a vow to teach her how to live a life with God in the center of it, and to deal with problems through prayer and wisdom. It's not just sprinkling water these days, it's really parent dedication in honor of the baby.